ca wsf newsletter - California Wild Sheep Foundation

California
Wild Sheep
Spring 2012
IN THIS ISSUE
From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2011 Pakistan & Turkey Hunt . . . 7
Photos from Trail Cams . . . . . . . . 9
News & Literature on
Wild Sheep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
180+ Rocky Mountain Bighorn
from Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Bret Scott
Desert Bighorn
San Gorgonio’s, CA
December 2011
Self-Guided
Pending Pope & Young World Record!
Once-In-A-Lifetime Sheep! . . . . . 18
On the Shoulders of Giants . . . . 26
The Basis for Bighorn Sheep
Harvest Recommendations
in California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Photos from the Field . . . . . . . . . 30
A Publication of the California Chapter Wild Sheep Foundation
Nor-Ca l’ s Big Game Spe ci a lis t
GET YOUR MESSAGE TO
CALIFORNIA SHEEP HUNTERS
6-Mo n t h C omple t io n o n Mo un ts
Advertise in the California Wild Sheep
Quarterly Newsletter or on
Our Web Site www.cawsf.org
St ate-o f-t h e-Art Al ar m Sys tem
to Pro te c t Yo u r Trophie s!
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Full Page – $250 b&w; $350 color
Half Page – $150 b&w; $250 color
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Business Card Size – $50 b&w; $150 color
Danny Smith’s
Utah state record
ram from 2006
Book 3 consecutive issues and get the
4th free (same ad and size).
Make check payable to CA WSF and send
e-version or camera-ready ad to our office.
Eric G o u ld, Ow n er
18631 Lloyd Lane, Suite D, Anderson, CA 96007
Shop: 530-229-0775
Web Site Advertising Rates
Rotating Banner, shows on All Pages $100/month or $1000/year
|
Cell: 530-510-9441
www.artisticwildlifetaxidermy.net
E-Mail: artisticwildlife@sbcglobal.net
CA WSF
423 Broadway #617
Millbrae, CA 94030-1905
(650) 697-6561
cafnaws@cafnaws.org
A r tistic Wi ldl i fe Ta x ide r my
Nor-Cal’ s Wild Sheep Specialist!
Cal-TIP
Brian S. MacDonald
Vice President
Financial Advisor
Tel: 415.274.6054
800.450.8655
Fax: 415.644.5511
brian_s_macdonald@ml.com
Californians Turn in Poachers and Polluters
1 888 DFG-CALTIP(888 334-2258)
A Confidential Secret Witness Program
CalTIP (Californians Turn In Poachers and
Polluters) is a confidential secret witness program
that encourages the public to provide Fish and
Game with factual information leading to the
arrest of poachers and polluters.
101 California St., Suite 2575
San Francisco, California 94111-5898
800.937.0615
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc.
K. E. Pack Watercolor Artist
Kevin Pack
www.kepackwatercolors.com
info@kepackwatercolors.com
Ramona, CA
CalTIP was introduced in California in 1981 in
order to give Californians an opportunity to help
protect the state's fish and wildlife resources. The
toll free telephone number operates 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week. You do not have to give your
name.
Chungo Creek Outfitters
Greg Kristoff
www.travelnordegg.com/chungocreek
krisfarm@telusplanet.net
Nordegg, Alberta, Canada T0E 1N0
For more information go to
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/enforcement/caltip.aspx.
CA WSF
Ask about our trophy hunts and
videography!
2
Spring 2012
From the Editor’s Desk
The National/International Conventions are past; state hunting
applications are well underway, and our CA WSF Event of April 21
is within sight!
I’d like to particularly draw your attention in this issue to:
• Lots of Photos from the field. We had another GREAT season
in California!!!
• Some exciting hunting stories
• Last installment of “anticipation” for our April 21 Banquet and
Fundraiser. Please register, we need ALL members to participate.
• Some fun stuff – e.g. humor, Trailer Park Ram – added info part 3 …
And, as usual, much, much more.
I am always looking for new material of interest to members. E-mail, call or write! Input due date for the 2Q12
issue is May 27. Please also try to get someone new out in the field or to the shooting range and please recruit
new members.
Mike J. Borel
CA WSF Newsletter Editor
mike.borel@contextnet.com
925-937-4180
Spring 2012
Magnolia Lodge
Dennis Campbell
www.magnolialodge.com
campholl@aol.com
Birmingham, AL
Boone and Crocket Club
www.boone-crockett.org
Likhulu Safaris
Matt van Vuuren
www.likhulusafaris.com
info@likhulusafaris.com
Reitz, Free State, SA
California Dept of Fish and Game
www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting
Sacramento, CA
NWA Outfitters LLC
Dan Ellesworth
www.nwaoutfitters.com
nwao.ml@live.com
Payson, UT
Anderson Taxidermy & Guide Service
Don Anderson
www.thehuntpro.com
andersontaxidermy@sbcglobal.net
Atascadero, CA
3
CA WSF
Board of Directors
Events
2012
Officers
President
Ken D. Fish (2012)
Northern California Vice President
Mike J. Borel (2012)
April 18
Guzzler Repair; Call Cliff McDonald, 928-788-4107
April 20
Sheep Summit XI in Sacramento
April 21
Underground Sacramento Tour, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
April 21
CA WSF Fundraiser/Banquet in Rancho Cordova
at Marriott
May 18-20
Guzzler Repair; Call Cliff McDonald, 928-788-4107
Due Date for Articles for 2Q2012 CAWSF Newsletter
Southern California Vice President
Donald C. Martin (2013)
June 22-23
WSF Chapter & Affiliates Meeting, Idaho
October
Sheep Summit XII in Ontario
Vice President, Operations
Kyle Meintzer (2013)
October
DBH Hunter Orientation in Ontario
Secretary
Paul A. Brisso (2013)
Jan. 9-12
GSCO Convention, Reno, Grand Sierra
Jan. 23-26
SCI Convention
Jan. 30-Feb. 2
WSF Convention, Reno, Grand Sierra
April 26
Sheep Summit XIII in Rancho Cordova
April 27
CA WSF Fundraiser/Banquet in Rancho Cordova
at Marriott
2013
Treasurer
Steve Boitano (2012)
2014
Board of Directors
Adam Casagrande (2013)
Roger L. McCosker (2012)
John F. Cavin (2012)
Dwight Ortmann (2013)
Ken Crother (2013)
Brenton Scott (2012)
Ben Gordon (2012)
Tammy Scott (2012)
Jan. 22-25
WSF Convention, Reno, Peppermill
Feb. 5-8
SCI Convention, Las Vegas
Feb. 12-15
GSCO Convention, Reno, Grand Sierro
Global Rescue
www.globalrescue.com
Boston, MA
Bob Keagy (2013)
Western Wildlife Taxidermy
Aaron Armstrong
www.western-wildlife.com
aaronhunts@gmail.com
Roseville, CA
California Wild Sheep is published quarterly.
Please e-mail all articles and photos to
mike.borel@contextnet.com.
Brent R. Todd Wildlife Artistry
Brent R. Todd
www.brentrtodd.com
brtoddart@earthlink.net
Salt Lake City, UT
Photos should be high resolution and in color.
It is recommended that digital photos be sent by e-mail.
Please include photo credits and captions.
CA WSF
4
Spring 2012
President’s Letter
Welcome to the early spring edition of the California Wild Sheep
Foundation newsletter. This is the season of conventions and
fundraisers, and as all of you know, there are many of them. The
Wild Sheep Foundation held its annual convention as usual in
Reno, Nevada this year. If you have never attended one of these
shows, you don't know what you are missing. Smaller, more
intimate, and more focused on sheep hunting than the Safari
Club and other shows, “The Sheep Show” is an outstanding place
to learn more about sheep populations in several states of the US,
provinces of Canada, and even in countries of Asia. Moreover, the
fun to be had at the nightly banquets is unlike many other events
of its type. It is unique, and you can feel the deep camaraderie of
sheep hunting when you are there. This year, Gray Thornton, the
president of the Wild Sheep Foundation at the national level, and
I collaborated to give the Outstanding Achievement Award to our
own Mike Borel. The look of surprise on his face was priceless, but
so was the enthusiastic response of those present that evening. We are honored to have Mike as one of our own
chapter members. If you haven't congratulated him on this award yet, be sure to do so at our upcoming CA Wild
Sheep Foundation banquet.
This year's banquet will be on April 21, and we will once again be at the Marriott Rancho Cordova in the
Sacramento area. Since moving to this venue a couple of years ago, our own chapter banquets have gained
popularity and momentum. Last year we had a sell-out crowd, so if you are thinking of attending this year, don't
wait until the last minute to purchase your tickets. As I write this, I have just received word that we will once again
have a Baja California Biosphere desert bighorn sheep tag for sale. We had previously been told that the number of
these tags was being reduced due to lower sheep numbers, but a new survey of sheep populations has confirmed
larger-than-anticipated animal counts. Even if you don't have the time or the wallet to bid on one of these tags,
that fact that we are receiving one for sale is an indication that our overall strategy for sheep conservation is succeeding. There can only be more tags when there are more sheep, and there are more sheep as a result of your
participation with WSF, both at the state level and the national level. In addition to the Biosphere tag, we will
have a number of other high quality hunts, firearms, and other items for sale this year. In fact, in many ways, this
year's lineup may be the best we have had in years. More information about the banquet and the items that will
be offered for sale is available elsewhere in this newsletter.
In addition to our banquet, there are other ways to become involved in sheep conservation. This year, we hope to
partner with the Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep more actively in the development and improvement of drinkers in the Mojave Desert. These water sources benefit many more species than bighorn sheep, and
they are a key part of sheep conservation in this state. Another upcoming opportunity is our chapter election for
directors. Each year, we must elect half of our directors anew, and we will be holding that election in June. I have
written a separate piece on this elsewhere in this newsletter. 2012 promises to be an outstanding year for sheep
hunters. Animal populations are on the rise, the economy is recovering (albeit slowly), and we have an opportunity
to elect a new government. It's time to jump in and boost your involvement! Please join us. It will be more enjoyable than you could imagine.
Ken Fish
310-625-2406
Trophy Chasers
Dan Herrera
www.trophychasers.com
dan@trophychasers.com
San Ramon, CA
Spring 2012
Artistic Wildlife Taxidermy
Eric Gould
www.artisticwildlifetaxidermy.net
artisticwildlifetaxidermy@yahoo.com
Anderson, CA
5
CA WSF
HUMOR: A TEXAS KID’S FIRST BOW & ARROW SET
(not to be considered a recommendation of any sort!)
Editor: Thanks to Tammy Scott for finding and sharing!
glimpse of the violence during the initial explosion,
and I will tell you there was dust, grass, and bugs all
hovering about a foot above the ground as far as I
could see. It was like a little low-to-the-ground layer
of dust fog full of grasshoppers, spiders, and a worm
or two.
The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat this …
THE COTTON PICKING DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE!
There was a big sweet gum tree out by the gate
going into the pasture. Notice I said “was.” That sucker
got up and ran off.
So here I am, on the ground, blown completely out
of my shoes with my Thundercats T-Shirt shredded, my
dad is on the other side of the carport, having what I
can only assume is a Vietnam flashback: ECHO BRAVO
CHARLIE YOU'RE BRINGIN' EM IN TOO CLOSE!!!
CEASE FIRE!!! DAMN IT, CEASE FIRE!!!!!
His hat had blown off and was 30 feet behind him
in the driveway. All the windows on the north side of
the house were blown out and there was a slow rolling
mushroom cloud about 2,000 feet over our backyard.
There was a Honda 185 3-wheeler parked on the
other side of the yard … the fenders were drooped
down, now touching the tires.
I wish I knew what I said to my dad at this
moment. I don't know. I know I said something. I
couldn't hear. I couldn't hear inside my own head.
I don't think he heard me either … not that it
would really matter. I don't remember much from
this point on.
I said something, felt a sharp pain, and then woke
up later. I felt a sharp pain, blacked out, woke later.
Repeat this process for an hour or so and you get
the idea.
I remember at one point my mom giving me CPR
and my dad screaming, “Bring him back to life so I can
kill him again.” Thanks, Mom.
One thing is for sure … I never had to mow
around that stump again. Mom had been bitching
about that thing for years and dad never did anything
about it. I stepped up to the plate and handled business.
Dad sold his muzzle loader a week or so later. I still
have some sort of bone growth abnormality … either
from the blast or the beating, or both.
I guess what I'm trying to say is … get your kids
into archery. It's good discipline and will teach them
skills they can use later on in life.
Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little
badass compound bow beginner kits. Of course, the
first month I went around our land sticking arrows in
anything that could get stuck by an arrow. Did you
know that a 1955 40 horse FarmAll tractor tire will
take 6 rounds before it goes down? Tough sumbich.
That got boring. So being the 10-year old Dukes
of Hazard fan that I was, I quickly advanced to taking
strips of cut-up T-shirt doused in chainsaw gas tied
around the end and was sending flaming arrows all
over the place.
One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming
arrows into a large rotten oak stump in our backyard. I
looked over under the carport and saw a shiny brand
new can of starting fluid (Ether).
A light bulb went off in my head.
I grabbed the can and set it on the stump. I
thought that it would probably just spray out in a
disappointing manner. Let's face it, to a 10-year old
mouth-breather like myself, (Ether) really doesn't
“sound” flammable.
So, I went back into the house and got a 1-pound
can of pyrodex (black powder for muzzle loader rifles).
At this point, I set the can of (Ether) on the stump
and opened up the can of black powder.
My intentions were to sprinkle a little bit around
the (Ether) can, but it all sorta dumped out on me. No
biggie … 1 pound of pyrodex and 16 ounces of (Ether)
should make a loud pop … kinda like a firecracker, you
know?
You know what? Screw that! I'm going back in the
house for the other can. So I got a second can of
pyrodex and dumped it too. Now we're cookin'!
I stepped back about 15 feet and lit the 2-stroke
arrow. I drew the nock to my cheek and took aim. As
I released, I heard a clunk as the arrow launched from
my bow. In a slow motion time frame, I turned to see
my dad getting out of the truck … OH SHOOT! He just
got home from work.
So help me God, it took 10 minutes for that arrow
to go from my bow to the can. My dad was walking
toward me in slow motion with a WTF look in his eyes.
I turned back toward my target just in time to see
the arrow pierce the starting fluid can right at the bottom. Right through the main pile of pyrodex and into
the can. OH SHOOT!
When the shock wave hit, it knocked me off my
feet. I don't know if it was the actual compression wave
that threw me back or just reflex jerk back from 235
fricking decibels of sound. I caught a half a millisecond
CA WSF
– Author Unknown
6
Spring 2012
2011 PAKISTAN & TURKEY HUNT
by Jay Link
of Pakistan (near the China boarder), I started hunting
Himalayan Ibex in some of the most unbelievably gorgeous mountains I have had the privilege to hunt. I
took two tremendous Himalayan Ibex – first was a
dandy “40-incher” at 545 yards, and the second was a
world class “44-incher” that should make the top five
in the world in the Safari Club International record
book at a very long distance of 610 yards!! In both
stalking situations, this was the closest I could get due
to the terrain. I found Pakistan to be some of the best
Mountain hunting that I have experienced.
I wish you a great hunting year in 2012!
December 2011 … I have just returned from a fantastic
Asian Mountain hunting expedition that took me into
some of the far corners of the world in Pakistan and
Turkey.
I took a Great Anatolian Chamois in the far northeastern region of Turkey with one shot at 380 yards in
cold conditions. After a 12-hour drive across Turkey, I
hunted Bezor Ibex in the Anatolian south central
region, and after sleeping four nights in a cave in
treacherous steep mountains, I was rewarded with a
305-yard, one-shot kill on my Beautiful Bezor Ibex.
Then after six days of traveling to the northeastern part
Archery Only
Wayne Piersal
archeryonly.com
wayne@archeryonly.com
Newark, CA
Arrow Five Outfitters
Jim and TinaMarie Schaafsma
www.arrowfiveoutfitters.com
arrow5@hughes.net
Zenia, CA
Spring 2012
7
CA WSF
CA WSF
8
Spring 2012
PHOTOS FROM TRAIL CAMS
Thanks to Bob Burke, SCBS Camera Coordinator and CA WSF member, for sharing these pictures!
Spring 2012
9
CA WSF
NEW WOLF REPORT FROM US FISH AND WILDLIFE
This report was the result of a 5-year review of gray
wolves in the lower 48 states, and included Mexico Gray
wolves as well. While this report is advisory in nature, a
few very interesting conclusions are included in the
report. These recommendations come from the summary on page 22 of the report which can be found at:
http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/five_year_review/doc3978.%20l
upus%205-YR%20review%20PDF.pdf
On Feb 29, 2012, US Fish and Wildlife Service issued a
very interesting report on wolves in America. It appears
that the service may be backing away from aggressive
wolf expansion plans in most areas in America. There
are a few exceptions where more wolves may be
required by USFWS. Here is a quick summary:
1. Expanded Wolf Delisting in the Lower 48. The report
suggests that gray wolves could be removed from
endangered status in the lower 48 states (with a few
notable exceptions see #2 and #3 below). Here is the
quote: “The 5-year status review recommendation is
that the Canis Lupus entity [gray wolves as a species]
…should be revised…by removing all areas currently
included in the CFR range. In other words, it is time
to delist a bunch of states where wolves don’t belong
or where they are already recovered.
For those who want to read beyond the “cliff notes” version, here is the full written version of the summary.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
5-Year Review of Lower 48-State and Mexico Gray Wolf
(Canis lupus) Listing, as revised
Current Classification: Endangered
Recommendation resulting from the 5-Year Review:
The 5-year status review and recommendation is that
the Canis lupus entity [gray wolf species] should be
revised to reflect the distribution and status of C. lupus
populations in the lower 48 States and Mexico by
removing all areas currently included in the CFR range
except where there is a valid species, or subspecies, or
DPS that is threatened or endangered. A 12-month finding on the petition to reclassify gray wolves in the
Southwest as a subspecies or DPS will be completed by
September 30, 2012. Status reviews for gray wolves in
the Pacific Northwest and for the eastern wolf, both initiated on May 5, 2011 are also ongoing and we anticipate completing these by September 30, 2012 as well.
The outcome of these reviews will identify which, if any,
gray wolves should continue to receive protections
under the ESA. Because we are in the process of identifying subspecies or populations that may continue to warrant protection under the ESA, we recommend that the
listing status of the gray wolf remain intact until these
regional reviews are complete.
2. Notable Exceptions. The above sentence also makes
clear that removal of wolves in the lower 48 states
from endangered status does not include areas where
“there is a valid species, or subspecies, or DPS that
is threatened or endangered.” So where do wolves
belong according to the report? Here are some
potential areas being reviewed by US Fish and
Wildlife Service.
a. Pacific Northwest (see pages 13-14 for more detail)
b. Eastern Wolves (see pages 14-15)
c. Arizona, New Mexico, Texas (see pages 9-13 for
more detail)
Here is the quote from the conclusion: “Status review
for gray wolves in the Pacific Northwest and for the
eastern wolf…are also ongoing…the outcomes of these
reviews will identify which, if any, gray wolves should
continue to receive protections under the ESA.”
3. Map for Mexican Wolves in Arizona, New Mexico and
Texas? The report shows what appears to be a new
Mexican wolf boundary which includes portions of
Arizona, New Mexico and extends into Texas. See
page 5 of the report to view the map.
Last Sheep Camp
Steve Holl, of Folsom, California, recipient of the CA WSF Above and Beyond Award,
passed away 13 January 2012 after battling brain cancer for more than 2 years.
CA WSF
10
Spring 2012
UPDATE ON WESTERN GREAT LAKES WOLF DELISTING
to attempt to stop this reasonable delisting of the
recovered gray wolf.”
SCI has gone to court to defend each previous
attempt by the FWS to delist the Western Great Lakes
wolves and will likely do so again in any future litigation challenge to this latest delisting. SCI has defended
hunters in numerous court cases over wolves since
2001 and is the uncontested leader advocating for
wolf delisting. SCI strongly supports returning wolf
management to the states and successfully lobbied for
federal legislation to prevent legal challenges to the
delisting of recovered wolves in Montana and Idaho.
SCI continues to advocate for the same legislative
solution to be adopted to prevent legal challenges
to the Western Great Lakes delisting.
“If the Endangered Species Act worked as intended,
the delisting of recovered species would be as easy
as listing them,” stated SCI Chief Communications
Officer Larry Rudolph. “SCI will continue to advocate
for much needed ESA reforms so species, like the gray
wolf, do not find themselves stuck on the endangered
species list long after recovery is achieved.”
If you would like to help SCI keep wolves delisted
and oppose radical environmentalists please consider
donating to the SCI's Hunter Defense Fund. Contributions to the Hunter Defense Fund go directly to SCI’s
litigation and legislative efforts to Protect the Freedom
to Hunt!
On Dec 21, 2011, the Secretary of the Interior, Ken
Salazar, announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS) will be issuing a final rule removing gray
wolves from the list of endangered and threatened
species in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and in
portions of adjoining states. Safari Club International
(SCI) lauds Secretary Salazar for again attempting to
return these recovered wolves to state management.
This rule will become final 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register and at that point state
game agencies will be tasked with the future management of gray wolves. There are over 4,000 wolves in
the Western Great Lakes population segment, a number which far exceeds the species’ recovery goals. The
FWS and states achieved those wolf recovery goals over
a decade ago.
This is the FWS’s third attempt to delist these
recovered wolves. The previous attempts were reversed
after the delistings were challenged by anti-hunting
groups and overturned by federal courts. “While the
announcement of the delisting of wolves in the Western Great Lakes is a positive step, the FWS has attempted to delist these recovered wolves twice before, only to
be thwarted by environmental radicals who used litigation as a weapon to the detriment of sportsmen and
species,” stated SCI President Kevin Anderson. “Safari
Club fully expects the same environmental groups to
once again employ costly and dilatory litigation tactics
MORE INFORMATION ON THE INFAMOUS TRAILER PARK RAM
by Dick Weaver
(The Parker Dam is keyed into the Buckskin Mountains
on the Arizona side and the Whipple Mountains on the
California side). On my own time I hiked into the
Buckskins. The main difference was burros; we had
them and California and Arizona did not. Some habitat
was lost on both sides of the river when the gorge was
flooded. At the dam site in California there was government employee housing (with dogs). Construction of
the dam was in the 1930s and completed a decade
before McLean made his estimate. The good news is
that we know there are bighorn in the Whipple Mountains today and the reintroduction was successful. We
have a picture to prove it taken by a lady with a cell
phone camera while en route to Lake Havasu to fish.
My son has the photo and I'll have him send it to you.
A footnote to the Terry Anderson story and the Steve
Torres addendum …
The reason the “trailer park ram” was radio collared
was because he was a part of a reintroduced/transplant
effort. In l983, 1984 and 1985, bighorn were trapped
in Marble and Old Dad Mountains and released in two
locations in the Whipples. The DFG had no information on bighorn in the Whipple Range prior to 1948.
In that year, Don McLean, DFG Biologist, made an
estimate on known bighorn locations. He thought
there were about 20 animals in the Whipples. In 1957
I developed one good water source in this range and
looked for others, but did not find any bighorn. This
puzzled me because in the Buckskin Mountains on the
Arizona side of the river. I knew there were bighorn.
Spring 2012
11
CA WSF
NEWS & LITERATURE ON WILD SHEEP
from Beverly Valdez
Wolf crossed officially into California
http://summitcountyvoice.com/2011/12/29/biodiversity-wolves-returning-to-california/
http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Return+predator+rings+howls+protest/5937676/story.html
www.sacbee.com/2012/01/05/4163846/lone-wolf-causes-stir-as-it-stays.html
The gray wolf is now in Lassen County
http://www.plumasnews.com/mcondon/9015-wandering-gray-wolf-confirmed-to-be-in-lassen-county
Time magazine takes note of the wolf returning to California
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2105380,00.html?xid=gonewsedit
Here's another story on Bret's record bighorn: http://www.sbsun.com/sports/ci_19651518
Ken Barr, member, is honored: www.lsonews.com/hunting-news/1951-dsc-presents-tough-guy-award-to-californian
Sheep reintroduced in Colorado doing well
durangoherald.com/article/20120107/NEWS01/701079943/-1/s/Desert-sheep-thriving-in-Dolores-canyon
New Mexico increasing number of desert sheep tags for 2012 / small decline of bighorn tags:
www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_19705936
Possible goat hunts in Colorado: www.summitdaily.com/article/20120107/NEWS/120109877/1078&ParentProfile=1055
Sheep-related stories from the American Sheep Assoc.
http://www.hpj.com/archives/2012/jan12/jan16/0110TopSheepStoriesof2011sr.cfm?title=ASA%20reviews%20top%2010%2
0sheep%20stories%20of%202011
Oregon FNAWS and Hunters Assn add money to find bighorn poachers
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20120113/OUTDOORS/120113001/Reward-pool-climbs-3-500-bighorn-poaching?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Sports|p
Palm Desert area recreation vs sheep heats up again -www.mydesert.com/article/20120121/NEWS01/201210314/Fight-between-local-hikers-feds-escalates?odyssey=
tab|topnews|text|Frontpage and www.palmdesert.patch.com/articles/two-bighorn-lambs-born-near-ramon-peak
In Montana a relocation plan runs into problems...
helenair.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/bighorn-transplant-called-off-neighbors-say-state-tried-to-ram/
article_100401da-43fd-11e1-9906-0019bb2963f4.html
Changes in Yukon may have an effect on hunting
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2012/01/24/north-yukon-hunt-change.html
Arizona sheep hunt end of season report
www.kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=74&SubsectionID=114&ArticleID=48741
Texas Parks & Wildlife dept is shooting burros because they are overrunning the wild sheep population. Good thing but
doesn't make people happy...
www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Donkeys-bring-petitions-to-Capitol-protesting-2613466.php
More on the burro vs sheep controversy in Texas: www.kens5.com/news/burros-138288729.html
AZ/TX shooting burros to save sheep: http://tucsoncitizen.com/usa-today-news/2011/11/30/wild-burros-wreak-havoc-ontexas-ecology/
CA WSF
12
Spring 2012
News article on the CA DFG random drawings for this year
carsonnow.org/story/01/24/2012/hunters-and-wildlife-both-win
Another reprint of the Adamson sheep
www.kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=74&SubsectionID=114&ArticleID=48847
49 Sheep in Montana moved from Wild Horse Island, one died in the process.
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/bighorn-sheep-removed-from-wild-horse-island/
article_8db13d65-df42-5efb-b869-5fc7ba352720.html
Montana bighorn fundraising tag gets bid of $300,000.
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20120202/LIFESTYLE05/202020317/Special-bighorn-sheep-tag-worth-300-000New-York-hunter?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Frontpage|s
Sunrise Powerlink construction crews committed at least nine separate violations of Peninsular Bighorn Sheep
habitat restrictions.
www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/feb/28/sdge-logs-42-more-powerlink-violations/?page=1#article
Mongolia hunting with Eagles: www.mb.com.ph/articles/352460/mongolia-hunting-with-golden-eagles
Nice human interest story about hunting sheep
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/feb/20/business-family-affair-golden-gamings-blake-sartin/
Montana - the sheep hunting sting from 2008 is in the news even made USA Today
http://www.htrnews.com/usatoday/article/38620455?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s
http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/charges-dropped-in-controversial-bighorn-sheep-hunting-sting/
article_0082a236-5a44-11e1-bc59-001871e3ce6c.html
Montana - FWP may be looking at predator loss of sheep/deer
http://helenair.com/news/local/fwp-urged-to-look-at-predator-impacts/article_fb151e78-5aca-11e1-bead-001871e3ce6c.html
Idaho - problems coming ahead with wolf populations growing and ranchers/farmers having problems
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/02/20/2002808/new-wolf-hunting-tools-for-ranchers.html
Solar Energy Conference - All in all, impacts to bighorn sheep were elevated to a new level of consideration than previously had been acknowledged. For example, bighorn sheep were mentioned only one time during the first 4 presentations;
following presentation #5 (Vern Bleich Ph.D.), they became quite the topic of interest, and were mentioned extensively
by others that participated in the discussions and breakout groups.
http://www.huntinglife.com/outdoor_news/detail/sportsmens-groups-speak-out-on-doi-solar-plan--at-inaugural-clean-energy-forum-in-las-vegas
BC/Canada hunters quota system info: www.bclocalnews.com/news/134993383.html
WA F&G approves wolf management plan: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/WA-commission-approves-wolfmanagement-plan-2342032.php
AZ approves limited night hunting for predators which will help sheep: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/WAcommission-approves-wolf-management-plan-2342032.php
A story about ibex hunting in Pakistan
tribune.com.pk/story/308255/trophy-hunting-foreigner-bags-ibex-locals-get-funds-for-development/
The lottery in Nebraska for bighorn sheep paid off -- might be similar to what DFG will be doing at the fundraiser
rapidcityjournal.com/news/nebraska-hunters-bag-their-bighorn-sheep/article_881e9ff8-272f-11e1-94de-001871e3ce6c.html
Ugh -- some sheep in BC seem to have been used for target practice...
www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/big-horned-sheep-hunters-in-crosshairs-of-bc-conservationofficers-135909793.html
continued on page 14
Spring 2012
13
CA WSF
continued from page 13
Of course, you've seen this from WSF, but nice to know it's being picked up by non-hunting media...
www.digitaljournal.com/pr/525743
Texas reintroduction program appears to be working (after 50 years) - a feel good story
www.therepublic.com/view/story/c0b6e0a0b46b4fd4a3150fe5362a798b/TX--Exchange-Bighorn-Sheep/
Wow - look at all these sheep ready to cross under the road! The U.S. Department of Transportation says wildlife versus
vehicle accidents cause between $5 billion and $8 billion in property damage each year and the animal crossings help
save some of this...
www.lvrj.com/news/sheep-bridges-also-give-humans-safe-passage-135818468.html?ref=468
Sighting of bighorn ram in Colorado -- seems like they are getting to be more plentiful when hikers start having close
encounters.
www.aspentimes.com/article/20111226/COLUMN/111229915/1021&parentprofile=1061
Bighorn sheep back in west Texas too... this story makes me wonder why our story of similar nature didn't get more
traction a couple years ago (we had better photos)
www.reporternews.com/news/2011/dec/24/bighorn-sheep-back-on-ridges-of-west-texas/
This one is about deer but still worth a mention I think... certainly would be true for female sheep as well
www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/12/when-milk-is-murder-the-allure-of-drinking-from-a-freshly-killeddoe/250512/
CA DFG releasing a wolf plan in January 2012
http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/12/11/2645419/will-cry-of-the-wolf-return-to.html
Idaho has a herd of bighorns -- here's a story about one of them. The herd is at risk because of pneumonia...
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/12/08/1908222/bighorn-no-93-is-still-roaming.html
A glimpse into who got drawn for CA Tags in 2011
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20111208/COLUMN0401/112080351/Hunting-season-has-been-weird-year
CA WSF
Island Explorations
Jack Pittard
www.islandexplorations.com
jwpittard@yahoo.com
Asheville, NC
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
www.adfg.alaska.gov
Juneau, AK
Point Blank Hunts
Joe Jakab
www.pointblankhunts.com
joejakab@pointblankhunts.com
Pittsburgh, PA
Wild Sheep Foundation
www.wildsheepfoundation.org
Cody, WY
Timberline Outfitters
Perry Hunsaker
www.timberlineoutfitters.com
timber@timberlineoutfitters.com
Higley, AZ
Lowa Boots
Dan Hill
www.endlessadventuresales.com
dan@endlessadventuresales.com
Truckee, CA
14
Spring 2012
180+ ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN FROM COLORADO
by David Combs
premier sheep guides in Colorado. They were
assisted by John and Kent.
Interesting to note we were out in the plains
of Eastern Colorado. The plains were interrupted by
an enormous gorge that had been carved millions
of years ago by a river. The gorge was about 400
yards deep in most places and about a mile wide.
This gorge is home to bighorn sheep, deer, bear,
fox, mountain lion and bobcats. Because of the
severe cold weather, bird life was very scarce.
When the weather finally cleared up, we were
facing a sunny, but bitter cold day. If I look bulky
in the photo, it is because I was wearing two sets of
heavy hunting pants and two heavy hunting jackets, plus numerous under garments. During the day
of success, we looked at two groups of sheep, totaling about fifty. We did see other rams, but none as
handsome as the one in the photo. Interesting to
note that my ram literally had very few teeth and
those that remained were very worn. He would have
had a tough time surviving another tough winter.
For the sheep hunters in the crowd, this ram will
probably score just north of 180.
By the way, my wife, Sona, suggested this
should be my last sheep hunt. I suspect it might
be otherwise.
This picture is of a magnificent Rocky Mountain
Bighorn Sheep I harvested on the December 6 about
50 miles east of Trinidad, Colorado. I was accompanied on this trip by my good friend Tom Hermstad.
We flew into Trinidad on December 2, and except
for one bitter cold afternoon, we were snowbound
in the local Holiday Inn for three days. The guiding
was conducted by Tom Schulze and Al Vallejo, two
HUNTING HUMOR
Editor: Thanks to Beverly Valdez for finding and sharing!
A group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That
night one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under the weight of a ten
point buck.
“Where's Henry?”
“Henry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail.”
“You left Henry laying out there and carried the deer back!?!”
“A tough call,” nodded the hunter, “but I figured no one is going to steal Henry.”
Spring 2012
15
CA WSF
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-2010
SIERRA NEVADA BIGHORN SHEEP RECOVERY PROGRAM
JULY 2009 - JUNE 2010
John D. Wehausen1, Alexandra P. Few2, Thomas R. Stephenson2, David W. German2,
Becky M. Pierce2, and Jeffrey L. Davis3
University of California, White Mountain Research Station
California Department of Fish and Game, Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program
3
United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Wildlife Services
1
2
Excerpt
(full report available at www.cawsf.org)
The goal of the Sierra Nevada Bighorn
Sheep Recovery Program is to achieve a
population size and geographic distribution
of bighorn sheep in the Sierra Nevada that
ensures long-term viability of the entire
population and warrants its delisting as
an endangered species (USFWS 2007). The
Recovery Plan for Sierra Nevada bighorn
sheep calls for an adaptive management
approach in which timely decisions are
made based on collected data. To make
informed decisions to conserve bighorn,
the Recovery Program monitors population
estimates, demographic rates, and distribution. The Recovery Program focuses on
four major conservation activities:
1) translocating bighorn to augment
existing herds or to reintroduce bighorn
to areas within their historic range
(Figure 1),
2) enhancing habitat through small
prescribed burns,
3) reducing the risk of disease in bighorn
by limiting exposure to domestic sheep
and goats, and 4) managing predation
on bighorn by mountain lions (USFWS
2007).
This report summarizes conservation
activities conducted and demographic
data collected during July 1, 2009 –
June 30, 2010.
Figure 1. Locations of 16 historic herd units in 4 Recovery Units. All
occupied herd units are required for recovery (USFWS2007) except
Bubbs Creek. Four vacant herd units (Olancha Peak, Laurel Creek, Big
Arroyo, and Taboose Creek) must be occupied to meet recovery goals.
CA WSF
16
Spring 2012
2010-2011 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE
SIERRA NEVADA BIGHORN SHEEP RECOVERY PROGRAM:
A DECADE IN REVIEW
Thomas R. Stephenson1, John D. Wehausen2, Alexandra P. Few1, David W. German1,
Dennis F. Jensen1, Derek Spitz1, Kathleen Knox1, Becky M. Pierce1, Jeffrey L. Davis3,
Jeff Ostergard3, and Jonathan Fusaro1
California Department of Fish and Game, Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program
2
University of California, White Mountain Research Station
United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Wildlife Services
1
3
Excerpt
(full report available at www.cawsf.org)
recruitment of yearling females. Mountain lion predation was the highest known cause of mortality and was
concentrated in herds in proximity to dense mule deer
winter ranges (Johnson 2010a).
The Recovery Program is directed by the Recovery
Plan for Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep drafted in 2001
(USFWS 2007) which presents the conservation strategies that California’s Department of Fish and Game
(DFG) has employed over the last decade. The Recovery
Plan has a 20-year implementation schedule beginning
when the plan was released in 2007. The stated goal for
downlisting is 2017. Considerable progress has been
made in implementing the Recovery Plan conservation
strategies. These strategies focus on 1) increasing the
number and distribution of bighorn sheep through augmentations and habitat enhancement projects and 2)
reducing threats that limit their survival by managing
predators and reducing the proximity of domestic sheep
grazing allotments. Based on the first strategy, we implemented three translocations to augment small herds.
Additionally, we planned prescribed burns and initiated
two to enhance the quality of habitat for bighorn sheep.
Following the second strategy, we removed mountain
lions when they posed an imminent threat to bighorn
sheep, and land management agencies worked to shift
grazing away from areas near bighorn recovery units.
After reviewing 11 years of progress, we are optimistic that we could meet the goals for downlisting to
threatened status within the next decade, barring any
catastrophes. If we are to meet this ambitious timeline,
key recovery strategies need to continue. Implementing
translocations for reintroductions to vacant herd units is
essential to achieve the distribution required to meet
recovery goals. This necessitates adaptive management
and a predator management program to protect herds
used as a source of translocation stock so that reintroductions and augmentations can occur.
For more information on Sierra Nevada bighorn
sheep, please visit our new website at
www.dfg.ca.gov/snbs.
This report presents a review of the Sierra Nevada
Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program from 1999, when
Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep were placed on the federal
endangered species list, to June 30, 2011. For a detailed
summary of recovery actions carried out and data
collected from 2010-2011 see Appendices C and D.
Since 1999, Sierra bighorn numbers have increased
from just over 100 animals to about 400. The current
reproductive base of almost 200 females over 1 year old
is about two-thirds of the numerical recovery goal of
305 females (Figure 1). Of the 12 herd units required for
recovery (USFWS 2007), only 4 remain vacant as of the
2010-2011 reporting year.
Figure 1. Proximity to downlisting criteria for each Sierra
Nevada bighorn sheep recovery unit based on number of
adult ewes over 1 year old.
Herds that grew substantially since listing (Wheeler
Ridge, Mount Langley, Sawmill Canyon, and Mount
Baxter) tended to have the highest growth rates early in
the decade. During periods of high growth, survival rates
of adult females generally exceeded 90%. Periods of
slowed population growth were accompanied by more
variable and poorer adult female survival and declining
Spring 2012
17
CA WSF
ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME SHEEP!
by Bret Scott
said, “Sure. Prove it.” I scanned my results and then
e-mailed them to him. All of a sudden it got real quiet
on the other end, then the screaming started (words I
can’t put in this story). IT WAS REAL!!
Now the planning. I have never hunted sheep
except for the Moreno sheep on Santa Cruz Island way
back when, and I wasn’t even completely familiar with
the San Gorgonio hunt unit. I had been putting in for
this unit because it was so close to home. The first
thing I did was leave work early the next day and
drive the roads around the entire unit. Now I knew I
could hike down from Hwy 38 or hike up from the
desert side from I-10. Ed Fanchin called me to tell me
about LaRon Storyk, who was successful with archery
in that zone last year. He gave me his number so I
could pick his brain. The only problem with that was
he had only hunted one day with the guide and was
done! He still was a great guy to talk to and hear his
story, which only pumped me up even more.
The local sheep outfitter, Terry Anderson, called
me on the day I was drawn to offer his services (man
… word travels fast). He offered to take me up on the
mountain through some private property to glass for
sheep, just to get to know me and tell me about his
services. After spending all morning looking for sheep
with Terry and his guide, Jake, they asked me what
my plans were. I told them since this was a once-in-alifetime tag, I was going to start hunting from day one
and do whatever it took to get a ram since I was determined to get it with a bow and didn’t know how
many tries it would take or how many shots. I did tell
him that if I got to the last two weeks of the season
and was unsuccessful, then I would call him to see if I
could hire him. He was obviously disappointed, and I
was told I would be lucky to find sheep on my own
since I had no experience and getting one with a bow
would be almost impossible by myself – a statement I
would hear over and over the whole time leading up
to the hunt!
I started scouting in August, starting with the
desert side first. I had talked to Nate Welch, who had
drawn two years previous in the San Gorgonio Zone
and only hunted the desert side, successfully getting
a nice ram. My first scouting trip turned up a group
of three rams, one being a shooter at 50 yards broadside for about 3 minutes! Then another three rams
about 2 miles later. I started going about every other
weekend, foregoing deer season for scouting. Jack and
I would hike down from the mountain, hike trails in
the middle of the zone, and go from the desert side
for a weekend at a time. I had Ed and Wayne Raupe
I’ll never forget the day I got drawn for my Desert
Bighorn Sheep Tag!
I opened the F&G web page and noticed it was
an all new format. When I got to the draw result page
and read the first line: Desert Bighorn Sheep. Did I
win … Yes!!! What the???
This can’t be, it must be a joke. I had just found
out my buddy Nate got drawn! No way did two
people I know get sheep tags! Heck, I’ve never even
known a sheep tag holder! So I backed out of the
website and did it again, and again, and again … now
I starting to actually believe it. Holy Crap! It’s real!
I grabbed the phone to start calling all my hunting
buddies, and nobody answered! I was going nuts! And
I was actually starting to shake. I finally got a hold of
my hunting buddy Jack Hankins to tell him the great
news! “Draw results are out,” I excitedly told him. “I
just got drawn for sheep!” He laughed and said, “Sure.”
I must have told him three or four times, and he kept
laughing it off, finally telling me to quit joking around
and get serious. So now I told him, “I’M NOT KIDDING! I will send you a copy of my draw results.” Jack
CA WSF
18
Spring 2012
checking some other areas for me so we could get the
whole unit covered.
I only saw sheep in the desert side though, but was
glad we could eliminate the other areas scouting instead
of during the hunting season. Two weeks before the season started, I decided to make one more bonsai run up
in the desert and found two rams bedded on a knoll …
one being an absolute giant! I watched them for about
an hour, then snuck out with a smile on my face, just
chomping at the bit to get started (especially since all of
the other zones had been open for two weeks already).
October rolled around and we had the Mandatory
Sheep Orientation meeting at the Bass Pro Shop in
Rancho Cucamonga with Fish and Game, Forest Service, BLM, Parks Department, Wild Sheep Foundation,
and some of the sheep guides. All but one of the lucky
hunters was at the meeting. I had brought along my
son Travis, Jack, Ed, and Wayne. It was a very informative day! We learned that this was the 25th season for
bighorn sheep in California, and we got to meet the
people from Fish and Game and the Wild Sheep
Foundation who had made it all possible.
At the start of the meeting they asked everyone
to introduce themselves and tell about their weapon
of choice. When they got to me, I said, “Bret Scott,
archery only!” You should have seen the looks I got.
They asked, “Aren’t you going to use a gun for backup
at the end of the season?” You could almost hear the
snickering when I said “No, bow only!” At the end of
the day they handed out the coveted Sheep Tag! Now
it’s game on!
December 17 finally rolled around. My boss at
work had asked, “Are you even going to be here the
next two months?” I laughed and said I would let
them know after I got my sheep. My plan was to
Spring 2012
hunt the first nine days, coming home on Christmas
morning, then going every weekend for three days at
a time, then two weeks to close the season.
Day One………Doug Meeks, Dave Semple, Bill Payne,
and I shouldered our packs in the dark and set out. We
found a campsite just as it was getting light. We then
headed straight up to the main ridge to glass. (Everything here was straight up.) We immediately spotted a
small ram heading south. Bill and Dave headed after
the ram to get a better look and check out the area
south of camp. Doug and I headed north to the knoll
where I had seen the two giant sheep two weeks ago.
The weather that day was raining and wind gusts of
40-50 mph but we were still seeing sheep! About a half
mile from my knoll we spotted five rams heading to
the top, with one being a shooter – we figured about a
155"-160". As they walked back over the ridge we
made a plan to go after them, but as we crossed a ridge
behind them, they came up on the next ridge about
250 yards away and we were busted. Off they went.
Oh well, it was a fun first day, even in the sideways
rain! Between the four of us we had seen 16 sheep that
day, with one being a shooter.
Day Two………Doug and I headed straight up from
camp again, while Dave and Bill headed south. Right
away Doug spotted a group of seven rams, with one
being about a 170 class sheep about a mile away. The
stalk was on! But that mile sighting was about a 2 ½
mile end around so as not to be seen in this wide open
country. With adrenaline flowing, I caught up to Bill
and Dave just before they crested the ridge and would
have been seen. I told them about the sheep and that I
had about a half mile to go to get behind them. After
19
CA WSF
going up and down a couple of cliffs I was finally in
position to peak over, only to find out that the sheep
who had been feeding straight to my spot all morning
had changed direction and turned straight down 240
yards away in the wide open. I waited for them to
cross a canyon, go out of site and took off after them
again. But I never caught up. Now I felt thrashed, and
my legs were like Jell-O as I walked out of the canyon
to meet up with Bill and Dave, who had witnessed the
whole thing. When I got to them, Jack had just shown
up for the week and Bill and Dave had to go get Doug
to head back to work. We said our good-byes and I
told Jack we had to head south down the main ridge
to go get my pack I had dropped. As we got to my
pack, I told Jack to go the high spot while I climbed
down to get my stuff. When I got to Jack, he told me
he had seen a group of sheep go over the next hill
with three giant rams in the group! About that time I
looked through my binos to my left and saw five more
rams about a mile away. We decided to go after the
big group, but got stuck in some cliffs. I told Jack since
it was now 2:30 p.m. and we would have to go a couple more miles to get around the cliffs and back, my
legs wouldn’t make it and we would be walking along
cliffs in the dark. So the plan was to check it out the
next morning. We had seen about 28 sheep that day,
with four being shooters.
could cut them off from the top and this was the area
the three big rams had been in two days ago! I started
after them. When I got close, I took off my boots and
sneaked over to the ledge. I could see the backs of
sheep at 28 yards! As I eased up to look down, they
had no idea I was above them, but it was a whole herd
of EWES! Nine of them. Ahhhg! So close, yet so far.
After we got over that experience, we started glassing
the surrounding hills. Jack said, “Hey, there’s the three
amigos back over on the ridge we had been on Sunday.” The ridge was about a mile north of where we
were now. Because of all the scouting we had done all
summer, we knew exactly which finger ridge to go up
to cut them off. We had gone about a mile and a half
around and were starting to get closer to the ridge top
we had seen them on when we spotted a couple of
sheep on our side. We waited for them to move out of
sight and took off for the opposite side of the knob to
intercept. As I was easing around the knob, I had an
arrow nocked and knew they had to be close! I
dropped to my knees and started knee walking around
the knob to where the ridge met up with it when I saw
the backs of sheep! They were only about 25 yards
away. Then I saw a ewe step out at 30 yards staring at
me, trying to figure out what was going on. I’m thinking, Oh no, I’m busted. The ewe wasn’t sure what I was
as I was behind this little bush, so she started walking
right at me! At 10 yards her eyes get real big and she
took off with about 25 other sheep … including the
three amigos! I pulled back, but thought, No, I’m not
taking a running sho. The whole herd stopped to look
back. I think they were curious why the one ewe had
spooked since they hadn’t winded me or seen me. I
let down, ranged it at 60 yards, but the Bushnell Arc
Rangefinder said 57, pulled back, got my pin on the
closest ram and released! I watched in slow motion as
my arrow disappeared into the side of the ram. Then
it hit me. I GOT MY DESERT BIGHORN!!! I turned
around and raised my arms to Jack, who had seen the
Day Three………It’s the first nice day! No rain, no
wind. But also no sheep!!! We couldn’t find a sheep to
save our lives. We could glass for miles … nothing! Of
course now I’m panicking. Did all of our scent from
the previous two days push them out? Oh crap! What
do we do now?
Day Four………We decided to try farther south than
we had been first thing that morning. Immediately, I
spotted a sheep going around the corner of a ridge
that we knew had a drop-off. I felt pretty confident I
CA WSF
Southern Hunting Safaris
Scott Thomson
www.southernhunting.co.nz
nzhuntahr@xtra.co.nz
Fairlie, New Zealand
Joshua Spies Fine Art
Joshua Spies
www.joshuaspies.com
contact@joshuaspies.com
Tracy, MN
Pat Pauley Art
Pat Pauley
www.patpauleyart.com
pat@patpauleyart.com
Guns, Fishing and Other Stuff
www.gunsfishing.com
Vacaville, CA
20
Spring 2012
whole thing from about 30 yards behind me. The
whole herd took off down the mountain, but we were
able to watch them the whole way. At about 300 yards
they reached a finger ridge below us. My ram got weebly wobbly, which freaked out the other sheep, who
all took off except for the other two big rams and two
medium rams. My ram stood there for about 30 seconds, then decided to bed down on top of the ridge.
He put his head down, lifted up, and then down for
the count. I think you could have heard Jack and me
clear to Palm Springs when we started whooping it up!
We had left our packs back at the bottom of the
ridge on the other side, so I asked Jack if I could borrow his phone to call Travis. Jack handed me the
phone, but I was shaking so bad I couldn’t dial it! Jack
had to dial it for me. I could hardly even talk, but I
finally got out, “Big Ram Down!” Then I asked Travis
if he could get out of work to help us get the sheep
out. He called me back in 2 minutes to tell me that he
and our friend Jason Duysings would be there in an
hour or so with pack frames and coolers. Awesome!
Now Jack and I walked down to the sheep for the
first time (I was practically running). I couldn’t believe
the mass! Since I’m not an experienced sheep hunter, I
asked Jack what his guess was. I was thinking 165";
Jack said, “Yea, I’ll say 165". After pictures … about
300 … we started skinning and butchering the sheep,
when Travis and Jason showed up. Jason had brought
along his 4-year-old son, Hunter, in his pack with him!
They took more pictures and texted a couple of people, then helped me shoulder the load. I had the
head/hide for a full body mount on my pack, Jack had
the shoulders and backstrap, and Travis took the two
hindquarters. Jason loaded Hunter back in his pack
and took my bow. Wayne had now shown up on top
of the ridge, so we yelled at him not to come down
because we were coming up. He took about a 100 pictures of us all climbing out of the canyon. By the time
we reached the truck, Dave had shown up with a cooler of beer for everyone and Wayne pulled out the
champagne! I was floating about a 100 feet off the
ground! I could feel no pain from the pack out. Everyone else was exhausted. I don’t know why?
After a couple of beers, more photos and storytelling, I called the Fish & Game Biologist, Jeff
Villepique, to let him know I had a sheep. He told me
to meet him at the Mill Creek Ranger Station. Everyone said they were coming along; nobody wanted to
miss a thing! After all of the paperwork and plugging
the horns, Jeff started to measure the sheep. When he
finished, he turned around and said, “Nice sheep, 180
7/8"!” I said, “What? Measure him again.” Same thing
… 180 7/8". Now not only am I 100 feet off the
ground, I’m doing cartwheels, thinking I have the new
state record archery sheep! Then another friend calls
me to tell me the world record P&Y is 178 6/8"! Holy
cow! I don’t know how much they shrink, but I know
I’m going to be somewhere at the top. And all I was
trying for was a mature ram with my bow!
Talk about a ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME hunt! I still
can’t believe it. Not only did I get my ram, I did it on
my own, I did it in 3 ½ days and it’s a record book
ram! So much for the naysayers now!
Now that I’m home, I can’t help but keep looking
at the horns! I had to promise my lovely wife, Sharie, I
would go to the other room when the phone rings
and I tell the story for the 100th time!
AR Hunting Consultant
Abed Radwan
www.ibexman.com
abed@gci.net
Anchorage, AK
Thompson Long Range
Mark Thompson
www.thompsonlongrange.com
mark@thompsonlongrange.com
Logan, UT
Front Sight Training Institute
www.frontsight.com
info@frontsight.com
Pahrump, NV
Hunt In Europe
Srdja Dimitrijevic
www.huntineurope.com
info@huntineurope.com
Marbella, Spain
Spring 2012
21
CA WSF
SUMMARY OF WILD SHEEP
Wild Sheep Numbers, License Numbers, Ram Harvest – By Decade
Assembled by Kevin Hurley, WSF Conservation Director,
in cooperation with WAFWA’s Wild Sheep Working Group
CA WSF
22
Spring 2012
SUMMARY OF WILD SHEEP
(continued)
Comments
Spring 2012
23
CA WSF
WIN A CALIFORNIA DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP TAG
by Kyle M. Meintzer, V.P., Operations
Tickets are available for $5 each on the DFG
website at https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/
InternetSales. There is no limit to the number of tickets
you can buy, although at the time of this writing, you
can only buy 50 at a time. DFG plans to increase that
number in the near future. Until then, if you want to
buy more than 50 tickets, you will need to log in again
to buy your second lot.
You do not need to have a California hunting
license to apply for the Random Draw tag. You will only
need to buy a license if you are the lucky winner. In
addition, the once-in-a-lifetime restriction and non-resident tag number limitations do not apply for this tag.
To top it all off, Terry Anderson of San Gorgonio
Wilderness Outfitters is offering free guide services for
the hunt to the recipient! Thank you, Terry!
For the first time ever, California is having a “Random
Draw” for a much-coveted desert bighorn sheep tag.
This idea was first presented to the California Fish and
Game Commission by CA WSF at a meeting in Stockton in early 2008. With a third desert bighorn sheep
fundraising tag about to become available, we suggested
that instead of auctioning that tag, it should be offered
in a public raffle that would allow anyone to participate. The Commission loved the idea, and although it
took a couple of years to get the right system in place,
it’s now become reality!
The tag will be good in the Kelso/Old Dad
Mountains hunt zone, which hosts perhaps the largest
population of desert bighorn sheep in the state. Many
book rams have been taken in the unit over the years,
including Dmitri Hanlon’s 181 1/8", 6 ½ year-old ram
in 2009.
CA WSF
Society for the Conservation
of Bighorn Sheep
www.desertbighorn.cjb.net
Pasadena, CA
Explorer Satellite Communications
Andy Cool
www.explorersatellite.com
sales@explorersatellite.com
Fort Lauderdale, Fl
Bill Johnson Company
John Harris
Wheatland, WY
Cottonwood Ranch
Blain Jackson
www.cottonwoodguestranch.com
Preston, ID
Masterpiece Investments
Wilsonville, OR
Steyn Caracal Safaris
Abie Steyn
www.scssafaris.com
absteyn@mailbox.co.za
Linden, South Africa
Action Whitewater Adventures
Verle Duerden
www.riverguide.com
info@riverguide.com
Provo, UT
Zulu Nyala Group
Veena Joory
www.zulunyala.com
hvjoory@mweb.co.za
Bryanston, RSA
24
Spring 2012
CA WSF 10TH ANNUAL BANQUET AND FUNDRAISER
April 21, 2012 – Marriott Rancho Cordova
by Adam Casagrande
This 10th Annual event will host a number of
special permits in our live auction.
Attention sheep hunters and sheep enthusiasts, it’s
time to once again come together and celebrate the
hard work and outstanding achievements we have
accomplished together in putting and keeping sheep
on the mountains. The California Wild Sheep Foundation would like to welcome you to come and join us
for the 10th Annual Banquet and Fundraiser on April
21 at the Marriott Rancho Cordova.
For ten years now CA WSF members and guests
have been joining together at this annual event to help
raise money and awareness for North American wild
sheep. And what a phenomenal job you have done.
The dedication and support shows in the numbers
across the board, from dollars generated for conservation and enhancement projects to the increased number of sheep hunting zones throughout the state along
with the tremendous increase in the number of sheep
tags now available.
The 10th Annual Banquet and Fundraiser brings
with it a little extra to celebrate as this past years sheep
hunting season is literally one for the books. With 27
sheep tags available across the state hunters achieved
great success with twenty five hunters harvesting sheep
in the mountains of California. Of those twenty five
successful hunters twelve of them harvested sheep with
a green score of 165" or better, four of which green
scored 179" or better.
The California state record was harvested in the
Orocopia Mountains by CA WSF member John Berens
and scored 187 1/8 after the 60-day drying period. The
California state archery record and possible P&Y world
record (pending panel score) sheep was harvested by
Bret Scott in the San Gorgonio Mountains and scored
178 4/8 after the 60-day drying period. Congratulations to both of these hunters for their success this
past season.
• California Desert Bighorn Sheep Permit
(Marble/Clipper/South Bristols)
• Alaska TOK Management Area Dall Sheep Permit
• Nevada Heritage Elk Permit
• Baja California Sur, Mexico, El Vizcaino Bioshpere
Reserve, Desert Bighorn Sheep Permit
The live auction will also be filled with a number
of outstanding hunts both here in North America and
overseas. Many other unique live auction items will be
available which can be found on the growing list posted
on our website – www.cawsf.org.
The extensive live auction will only be a part
of the excitement for the evening as there will be
numerous taxidermy displays for attendees to view.
As always there will be a great line up of silent auction
items and a general drawing consisting of firearms and
other exciting non-hunting items. Look for the general drawing and bonus drawing lineup on the website.
To highlight our 10th Annual Banquet and
Fundraiser we will also be holding a “Life Members”
only drawing consisting of the all new Swarovski 10x42
EL Range binoculars. A special “Key Auction/Drawing”
will be host to a custom Gunwerks LR-LTE rifle chambered in 7mm SAUM.
So come join us and bring a friend for the 10th
Annual Banquet and Fundraiser on April 21st at the
Marriott Rancho Cordova. Make sure to visit our website at www.cawsf.org to register and buy your tickets
for the drawings as time is running out. Again we have
a lot to celebrate this year and your continued support
and dedication to CA WSF shows in the numbers across
the board.
Giuseppe Carrizosa Spain
Giuseppe Carrizosa
www.giuseppecarrizosa.com
giuseppecarrizosa@gmail.com
Madrid, Spain
Spring 2012
Makadi Safaris
Metzger, Diethelm and Katja
www.makadisafaris.com
katja@makadi-safaris.com
Windhoek
25
CA WSF
ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS
by John Drummond
ful sheep hunters for past years, telling me that if anyone could break it, “It’s you, John.” Fletcher made me
an offer I couldn’t refuse (that would make a great line
for a movie).
In August 1999, with my hunting partner Tom
Webber, we flew into Dease Lake, British Columbia,
then by floatplane into sheep camp. Fletcher told us
the previous hunters had no success and no sheep were
taken. “Oh by the way, put 20 pounds of personal gear
in a pannier we’re riding into the next camp.” Fourteen
hours later, we arrived at camp two. After hunting out
of camp two for six days, it was on to camp three. We
experienced 80 plus degree sunshine, rain, snow, and
the worst bugs ever … all in the same day. Wow, that’s
sheep hunting. Riding over a small rise, on top of a
momma Grizzly and her two cubs, was also thrilling.
After a challenging ten days of hunting, I was
blessed with a beautiful stone ram.
The biggest blessing was going on three different
hunts with Fletcher and the impact he had on my
future hunting trips. The goat hunt was my first guided
hunt at age 48, and it was a grand adventure. Fletcher
rest in peace. I can’t say thank you enough. Sherry, I
hope you’re doing well.
In 2003 I received an exciting call that I had drawn
a bighorn sheep tag in Wyoming. I was feeling lucky
that it only took 15 years. After 16 backpack hunting
and travel days with another outfitter, with no legal
ram, it was time to change outfitters. Thanks to Jason
Carter, the next Giant I was blessed with was Fritz
Meyer and especially Connie, his wife. The call was on
Thursday. After Connie heard my plight of two round
trips and all my previous hunting days, she called me
back, telling me if I could get to Dubois, Wyoming on
Friday night, then their son-in-law would take me
hunting. Now Dubois is 1,800 miles from our home in
California, so it was time to burn rubber. There were
only five days left in the season when Fritz and Connie’s son-in-law, Pat Poppy, took me up Whisky Mountain. I was blessed with a beautiful Rocky Mountain
ram. It only took three round trips from home in California to Wyoming, along with 19 hunting and travel
days.
In 2008, at the California Wild Sheep Foundation
dinner … where Diane, my bride of 42 years, bought
$500 in raffle tickets … we won a Dall sheep hunt with
the next Giant, another living legend, Pete Jensen’s
Yukon Outfitting. Big Wow! I had bruises from pinching myself. Yes, I woke all my friends up at midnight
to tell them.
On September 1, 2009, I arrived in Dawson in the
Yukon ready to hunt. Pete and Sharon fixed me up
My four wild sheep were taken on the “Shoulders of
Giants.”
Early October 1998, sitting at my desk, depressed
… no plans and no tags. My partners and I didn’t draw
a thing. We all know that feeling. We wait all year for
hunting season and not to have a hunt is gloom and
doom.
A call was made to Jason Carter of The Huntin’ Fool,
asking about any cancellation hunts for anything and
anywhere. Later that day I received a call from Sherry
Day at Tahltan Outfitting. She said if I could get to
Smithers, British Columbia in four days, then they
would take me goat hunting. Three phone calls later …
the first one was to my bride, Diane … I was booked
on a flight and off for a grand adventure. I admit I didn’t know I wanted to go goat hunting, but it sounded
like a great trip.
This trip was a defining experience. It was my first
guided trip and my first using horses. Horses? As a kid,
I rode one in a circle at the fair, but in the mountains?
Oh dear!
The trip still rates as one of my best – a wonderful
time, a trophy goat (Mr. Ten-inch), and friends for life
with a great couple from Texas, Bryan and Connie
Booth. This trip was make or break for me. It could
have been my first and last guided trip. The time I
spent with (then) living legend Fletcher Day really got
me excited about hunting the great north and fulfilling
my dreams of hunting. During the goat hunt, we
talked a lot about sheep hunting, a dream that needed
to get started.
I received a call in the spring of 1999 from Fletcher
and Sherry Day. Fletcher described a spell of unsuccess-
Grand Slam®, Ovis World Slam®, Capra World Slam® are trademarks of GSCO and are used with permission.
CA WSF
26
Spring 2012
Dennis wouldn’t let me take this ram, giving me the
“there are bigger ones” lecture. This would be a
common theme over the next five days. Looking at
mid-160 rams on day two and getting very excited,
Dennis took my shells and gave me a stern look. On
day three, I was given a time-out for dancing around
at the sight of a big ram. Okay … by day four I at least
got my shells back.
I didn’t know there were so many mountains
around Las Vegas that they were steep and treacherous
to climb.
On Thanksgiving morning (my favorite holiday),
after a stalk on a small ram, Mr. Big was spotted two
ridges over, and we were in hot pursuit. Now all the
rams we were spotting where at least 400 plus yards
away, which is the outer limits of my comfort range. As
we rounded a ridge, there he was, by himself. Mr. Big!
At 75 yards, the trophy of a lifetime and the completion of my life-long quest for all four wild sheep was
mine. An outstanding old warrior with one tooth, and
a green score of at least 176. What a blessing!
His final B & C score was 177.2. What a whooper
… beyond my wildest dreams!
Hide N Seek, Lupe Gallegos and his crew provided
professional service and a hunt that will be cherished.
Tom and I arrived as hunters and left as friends. The
other hunters in camp were also successful, speaking
volumes about the guide, outfitter, and the great state
of Nevada and their sheep program.
Yes, on all my sheep hunts I endured the hardships
of sheep hunting. I provided the grit and determination
to be successful. I was able to go sheep hunting with the
love and support of my lovely wife Diane and my family, especially my own cheerleaders, our twin 15-year-old
granddaughters, Joelle and Francesca (who never miss
sheep camp) … on whose shoulders I was able to complete this goal. I’m deeply thankful and blessed.
with their top guide, Jamis Lightfoot. Now is that
Canadian or what? Not only was he an outstanding
guide, he could really sing. After the many motivational
talks I needed to hear, I think he was a drill sergeant in
a past life.
After 11 days of stalks, horse riding, and brutal
weather, I was blessed with a brilliant Dall ram! Jamis,
you really made it happen. Pete left his mark on many
sheep hunters, and I will always remember time well
spent with him and Sharon. While writing my story I
was shocked and saddened to find out about Sharon
passing on November 30. I can see Pete and Sharon sitting along the Blackstone River laughing about their
past sheep hunters. The sheep hunting community has
lost two Giants. Thank you again.
In June 2011 … both feet in casts from double
surgery, barely able in move … we started getting
those phone calls. After applying for 26 years, I drew
a Nevada desert bighorn tag. At this point, all my
friends again heard my favorite quote: “It’s better to
lucky than good looking.” It works for me!
After doing the research, I selected a soon-to-be
living legend and already Giant in the sheep outfitting
business, Lupe Gallegos of Hide N Seek Outfitters.
My first contact was flying into Las Vegas in September
to go scouting. Right out of town, we were finding
sheep … awesome! I also was able to spend some time
with Lupe’s senior guide, Dennis Logan, one of my
new best friends.
With my old hunting partner Tom Webber (at a
certain age, old hunting partners are hard to find and
keep … thanks, Tom), we arrived to set up camp on
November 18, at night, in a sand storm, in the middle
of a dry lake bed. Yikes! This really is the desert!
On November 20, opening morning, Dennis was
showing me a 160 ram after a stalk that included a
very unpleasant encounter with a local cactus. Ouch!
Spring 2012
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27
CA WSF
THE BASIS FOR BIGHORN SHEEP HARVEST
RECOMMENDATIONS IN CALIFORNIA
by Vernon C. Bleich, Ph.D.
An additional reason that the number of harvest
opportunities in California appears low when compared to other western states is the fact that very few
populations (n=10 as of 1995; for simplicity, one can
consider those populations to be analogous to management units) in the Golden State that exceed 100
total individuals. Management plans prepared to date
have recommended harvests occur only in populations containing ≥50 adult females (which would total
80-100 total animals), a number previously interpreted to approximate an effective population size (Ne)
>50 if it is assumed that all mature females produce
a lamb. An effective population size of at least 50
was the minimum that some population geneticists
thought to be compatible with the maintenance
of evolutionary processes and, hence, population
persistence. At the time, populations within management units were treated as distinct entities; more
recently, however, has come the realization that
metapopulation dynamics likely play an important
role in determining Ne.
It is important for critics to keep in mind that
3 of the 10 large populations referenced above occur
in the peninsular ranges, where sheep are classified
as an endangered population segment and protected
by the Endangered Species Act, and also are classified
as threatened by the State of California. Although
bighorn sheep in the peninsular ranges number
nearly 1,000 individuals, they cannot be hunted.
An additional 400 or so animals occupy the Sierra
Nevada, but those are classified as endangered by
both the federal government and the State of California; as a result, they cannot be considered for harvest.
Further, other bighorn sheep — perhaps 500 — occupy areas that are off limits to harvest, including most
areas managed by the National Park Service or belonging to the Department of Defense.
In 2005 there were, nonetheless, 23 other populations (again, each roughly analogous to a management
unit) that were thought to contain between 51 and
100 individuals. Some of those populations currently
support hunting (e.g., Cady Mountains, South Bristol
Mountains), but there could be additional populations
that exceed 100 animals. In the absence of additional
survey work in areas most apt to support populations
of >100 animals, increased harvest opportunities are
unlikely.
It is important to keep in mind that roughly
1,400 of the bighorn sheep in California are protected
by state and federal regulations, and several hundred
more occupy lands on which hunting is precluded. In
Recently, I received an inquiry from a party seeking an
explanation for the conservative harvest recommendations that typically are proposed for bighorn sheep in
California. Several factors play a role when those annual
recommendations are formulated, and it is my expectation that there is broad interest among the readers of
California Wild Sheep. As a result, I will attempt to shed
some light on the subject.
When bighorn sheep hunting finally was legalized in 1986 (although the first hunting season in
recent times occurred in 1987), the Legislature strictly
limited the harvest that could occur in any given area.
Section 4902(b)(2) of the California Fish and Game
Code states that, “…the commission shall not, however, adopt regulations authorizing the sport hunting
in a single year of more than 15 percent of the mature
Nelson bighorn rams in a single management unit,
based on the department's annual estimate of the
population in each management unit.” The California
Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) has not violated the “15% rule” and cannot do so.
Historically, CDFG has been conservative in
harvest recommendations by limiting the harvest of
mature males to ≤15% of the combined total of Class
III and Class IV males observed during surveys conducted in any management unit during a particular
year. Previously, CDFG has not determined harvest
regulations based on “estimates” of population size
and the proportion of mature males expected to be
present in any geographic area based on those estimates. Indeed, it has been only recently (and sparingly) that information other than actual numbers of
mature males observed have been used to promulgate
recommendations.
This admittedly conservative approach was
established for several reasons, including the following: (a) sport harvest of bighorn sheep was opposed
vigorously by many members of the public; (b) every
year, when recommendations regarding harvest are
forwarded to the Fish and Game Commission, the
public has the opportunity to comment on any proposed regulation(s); and, (c) there was a desire among
CDFG personnel to minimize potential challenges to
harvest regulations. Indeed, the most certain way to
avoid such challenges was to avoid using estimates of
the number of mature males available in any given
area but, instead, to base recommendations on actual
numbers known to be present. Although this is a very
conservative approach, the strategy has been successful and proposed regulations have gone virtually
unchallenged for the past 25 years.
CA WSF
28
Spring 2012
harvest rate in California to those elsewhere potentially are not meaningful.
At the least, I hope I have been successful on
shedding some light on the mystery of why harvest
rates in California are low relative to those reported
elsewhere. For additional information, readers are
referred to a summary of harvest statistics and r
ecommendations for states, provinces, or territories
inhabited by wild sheep in North America, which
is available at:
<http://media.nwsgc.org/proceedings/NWSGC-2008/
Reviewed%20Rominger_ramharvest%20(final).pdf>).
2005, the median “estimate” of the number of
bighorn sheep occurring in California was about
4,500 individuals. If we subtract 1,400 from 4,500,
we are left with 3,100 bighorn sheep that could be
considered “harvestable” but, clearly, not all are
available for consideration. And, if we subtract an
additional 500 from the aforementioned 3,100 animals, we are left with a total population of about
2,600 individuals distributed among the potentially
harvestable populations. While these numbers are
not presumed to be exact, they do serve to illustrate
the complex nature of bighorn sheep management
in California.
During recent years, harvest regulations have
provided for about 25 tags to be available for bighorn
sheep in California. Using statistics available from
other states, provinces, or territories, California's
harvest rates are substantially less than those elsewhere. Nevertheless, it is not known to this writer
what factors are considered by other entities when
formulating harvest recommendations, or if they
must address legislated constraints similar to those
in place in California. Thus, comparisons of the
Dr. Vern Bleich is a wildlife biologist who worked
34 years with the California Department of Fish
and Game (CDFG), primarily with bighorn sheep
and other ungulates in the deserts of southeastern
California. Along with Dick Weaver (CDFG retired),
he played an important role in events leading to
the sport harvest of bighorn sheep in the Golden
State. Those wishing to contact Vern can do so at
<vcbleich@gmail.com>.
CORRECTION NEEDED
Bleich, V. C. 2011. “This is like déjà vu all over
again!” — Again! California Wild Sheep Winter
2011:17.
Santa Rosa Mountains in what is now Riverside
County, California, in 1775.
Although the great pestilence of the Kaliwa
Indian tradition and the dead and dying cattle
reported during Lieutenant Colonel Anza’s journey
cannot be directly linked to a disease outbreak
among wild sheep, those observations provide
some food for thought. If respiratory disease manifests itself following contact with domestic sheep,
it usually occurs shortly after such contact. The
fact that the pestilence and disease described by
Tinker (1978) and the dead and dying cattle
reported by Bolton (1930) occurred during or
shortly after expeditions that involved large numbers of livestock (albeit of unconfirmed species)
passed through areas occupied by bighorn sheep
lends additional credibility to the notion that disease resulting from pathogens contracted from
livestock truly is, ‘a tale as old as time…’ and provides additional historical perspectives on diseases
in North American wild sheep.”
The article cited above, which appeared in the
Winter 2011 issue of California Wild Sheep, contained several errors for which I am solely responsible and for which I apologize. I thank Drs. T.
Besser and F. Cassirer for their scholarly diligence
and for calling the problems to my attention. For
the record, please correct the final two paragraphs
of the paper to read as follows. —V. C. Bleich
“A second historical reference to the potential
for a disease outbreak among wild sheep following
association with domestic livestock was chronicled
by Frey Pedro Font, who accompanied the Spanish
explorer Don Juan Batista de Anza during his journeys through Southern California. Indeed, Bolton
(1930) described dead and dying cattle among
their livestock as the Anza expedition travelled
through Coyote Canyon on the west side of the
Spring 2012
29
CA WSF
PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD
Mark Dickson
Desert Bighorn
December 29, 2011 – Orocopias, CA
Taken with Tim Mercier & Cliff St. Martin,
Dry Creek Outfitters
David Combs
Rocky Mountain Bighorn
December 2011 – Colorado
Taken with Tom Schulze and Al Vellejo,
Sangre de Cristo Outfitters
Jerry O. Bush
Bezoar Ibex
December 2011 – Turkey
Taken with Riza Gozluk & Mehmet Alkan
& Caprinae Family
Jeff Jones
Desert Bighorn
January 2012 – San Gorgonio’s, CA
Taken with Terry Anderson & Jake Franklin,
San Gorgonio Wilderness Outfitters
Bret Scott
Desert Bighorn
December 2011 – San Gorgonio’s, CA
Pending Pope & Young World Record!
Mike Vail
Desert Bighorn
January 2012 – Marble Mountains
Taken with Terry Anderson, Jake Franklin,
& Andrew Pontious,
San Gorgonio Wilderness Outfitters
Jim Craig
Desert Bighorn
January 2012 – Old Dad’s Mountain
Taken with Terry Anderson & crew,
San Gorgonio Wilderness Outfitters
Russ Hawkins
Desert Bighorn
December 2011 – Marble Mountains
Taken with Terry Anderson, Jake Franklin,
& Andrew Pontious,
San Gorgonio Wilderness Outfitters
Ron Del Toro
Desert Bighorn
December 2011 – Old Dad’s Mountains
Taken with Terry Anderson & crew,
San Gorgonio Wilderness Outfitters
CA WSF
30
Spring 2012
PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD
Nate Treadwell
Desert Bighorn
Cady Mountains
Taken with Terry Anderson & crew,
San Gorgonio Wilderness Outfitters
Ken Gerhardt
Desert Bighorn
December 2011 – Nevada
Taken with Lupe Gallegos & crew,
Hide N Seek Outfitters
John Drummond
Desert Bighorn
November 2011 – Nevada
This ram completes John’s Grand Slam®
John Berens
Desert Bighorn
December 2011 – Orocopias
New California State Record
Taken with Terry Anderson & crew,
San Gorgonio Wilderness Outfitters
Mike Senior
Desert Bighorn
December 2011 – Clark/Kingston Zone 3
Taken with Don Anderson,
Anderson Taxidermy & Guide Service
Jay Link
Anatolian Chamois
December 2011 – Turkey
Jay Link
Bezoar Ibex
December 2011 – Turkey
Jay Link
Himalayan Ibex
December 2011 – Pakistan
Jay Link
Himalayan Ibex
December 2011 – Pakistan
Spring 2012
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31
CA WSF
2012 SHEEP SHOW: A LIGHT’S OUT EVENT!
by Kyle M. Meintzer, V.P., Operations
lights came back on ninety minutes later, hardly anyone
had left! The last auction item sold at 12:45 a.m., yet 75%
of the people were still there. It’s not something you hope
for obviously, but it turned out to be a lot of fun and a
great team-builder for WSF and our wonderful members.
Saturday was simply the continuation of a great convention. We had over 1,500 ‘walk-ins’ in the exhibit hall
on Saturday, along with several hundred who were preregistered. One lucky person won a drawing for a $5,000
floor credit and the raffle saw numerous lucky winners,
including winners of Dall, Rocky and Desert Bighorn
Sheep hunts.
All in all, it’s hard to see how the 2012 Sheep Show
could have gone better. Our members expressed great
enthusiasm, as did most of our exhibitors. We kept hearing, “This is just like the old days.” Attendance was up,
revenues were up and the fun was over the top. Even a
horrific wildfire just south of Reno on Thursday afternoon
that blocked off the highway between Reno and the
Carson City area for three days and threatened many
homes, including mine, didn’t keep the 2012 Sheep Show
from being the best Sheep Show in a very long time!
Next year the Sheep Show will be back at our old
stomping grounds, the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino
(formerly the Hilton). Mark your calendars for January 30February 2, 2013. We’ll see you there!
For the third consecutive year, the annual convention of
the Wild Sheep Foundation was held at the Reno Sparks
Convention Center, with the Silver Legacy Resort and
Casino as the host hotel. From start to finish the convention was a fun and successful event.
Things kicked off Wednesday evening with a great
Welcome Back party and were followed Thursday morning with the annual Sporting Clays Shoot featuring eight
members of the USA Olympic Shooting Team. Attendance
was way up from last year thanks to three great guys from
Reno who thought they could improve the event and
then proved it. The shoot started with strong winds that
soon became almost gale force, which made the shoot
even more fun and more memorable. If you want a fun
time, try shooting clays on the side of a mountain with
winds gusting to 40 mph!
Thursday evening featured the always-elegant
International Night along with a new affiliated event,
Tony Mudd’s annual Bowhunter Dinner. With no
publicity other than by word-of-mouth, 80 bowhunters,
friends and family attended the dinner at Rum Bullions
and the proverbial great time was had by all. Look for
this to become an official event at the 2013 Sheep Show.
The unquestioned highlight on Friday occurred at the
evening’s banquet when the power to the building went
out just as the auction was starting to roll. The WSF board
soon opened the bar and to everyone’s delight, when the
Blackrock Outfitters
Michael Hornbarger
www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Rock-Outfitters
bighornnv@sbcglobal.net
Winnemucca, NV
Crooked Horn Outfitters
Danell and Lennis Janzen
www.crookedhorn.com
Tehachapi, CA
Wildeats Enterprises
John McGannon
www.wildeats.com
wildeats@aol.com
Pacifica, CA
Cordoba Hunting SA
Faco Pavcovich
www.cordobahunting.com
info@cordobahunting.com
Cordoba, Argentina
Grand Slam Club/Ovis
Dennis Campbell
www.wildsheep.org
gsco@wildsheep.org
Birmingham, AL
Anuritay Ranch
Francisco ‘Paco’ Pizarro
www.anuritay.com
anuritay@yabiru.com.ar
Buenos Aires, Argentina
CA WSF
32
Spring 2012
BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION
by Ken Fish, President
research projects that will be funded with your dollars),
and various committees that deal with the legislative
and executive branches of California's government.
To All CA WSF Members:
Each year in June, the California Wild Sheep Foundation
elects half of its directors due to staggered terms of service. In order to hold that election, we must first have a
slate of candidates to put on the ballot. I am writing this
column to ask that you consider serving as a director for
the upcoming two-year period.
Serving as a director takes a small amount of time,
but the rewards are large. Consider that the number
of sheep tags in California has more than doubled in
the 10 years since our chapter was formed, and you can
see that these roles produce results that are both measurable and meaningful. If you would like to be on the ballot for director this year, please send an e-mail to me at
GSPGeneral@aol.com and copy our chapter administrator, Beverly Valdez, at forthesheep@gmail.com. Please
include your name, address, and phone number, and I
will contact you. The election will come sooner than
you think, so don't overthink this … act now!
Your Board of Directors generally meets telephonically
every other month (six times per year). These Board
meetings are nearly always held in the evening so as not
to interfere with our directors’ regular work and family
commitments. Twice yearly, we try to meet live: once at
The Sheep Show in Reno, and once in Sacramento on
the morning following our annual banquet. A director’s
responsibilities can vary, based on the committees and
projects that interest you. The more prominent and
obvious committees include the Banquet Committee,
the Projects Committee (where we approve habitat and
Ken Fish
310-625-2406
SPORTSMEN’S HERITAGE ACT CLEARS KEY HURDLE
Sportsmen Need to Call Their Congressmen Now!
“USSA is pleased that the House Natural Resources
Committee took such prompt action to approve H.R.
4089 – the most important pro-hunting legislation
since the 1997 Refuge Improvement Act,” said Bill
Horn, USSA Director of Federal Affairs (and former
Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of the
Interior). “We tip our hats to the 24 Republicans and
three Democrats who supported the bill.”
The newly introduced House Resolution 4089 –
strongly supported by the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance
(USSA) – has cleared the U.S. House of Representatives’ Natural Resources Committee and awaits a vote
before the full House. The bill passed the committee
by a vote of 27 to 16.
HR 4089, which is a package of four high-priority
bills, will:
The American Sportfishing Association, Congressional
Sportsmen’s Foundation, National Rifle Association,
National Shooting Sports Foundation, Safari Club
International, USSA, and many other organizations
are working hard to ensure passage by a broad bi-partisan majority.
• Classify BLM and US Forest Service land as open to
hunting, fishing and recreational shooting unless
closed or restricted based on scientific evidence;
• Confirm that the federal Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) cannot ban lead in traditional ammunition or in sport fishing gear;
Take Action! Every sportsman and sportswoman should
contact their Congressman now and urge them to support this groundbreaking bill. Ask your Congressman
to vote Yes on HR 4089, the Sportsmen’s Heritage Act
of 2012.
• Protect recreational shooting on BLM National
Monument land; and
• Allow the import of legally hunted polar bear
trophies now tangled in federal red tape.
Spring 2012
33
CA WSF
CA WSF
34
Spring 2012
Spring 2012
35
CA WSF
CA WSF
423 Broadway #617
Millbrae, CA 94030
Non-Profit Org.
US POSTAGE PAID
Millbrae, CA 94030
PERMIT 31
www.cawsf.org