What Might Be Behind Montana Bighorn Sheep Die-Off Events?

For hunters, wildlife viewing enthusiasts and photographers, they are one of the most popular, iconic and majestic creatures.

But they have an Achilles hoof, vulnerable in many ways, and that is an area of mystery and concern for those who study them. And efforts are being ramped up in light of the severe population decline.

My friend Brett French, Outdoor Editor of the Billings Gazette, shared an article that chronicles some of the misfortunes of Montana's bighorn sheep population. Brett tells us that in 1980, a band of bighorn sheep were captured from the Sun River area along the Rocky Mountain Front and moved to a foreign landscape to the east, north of Montana’s Fort Peck Reservoir.

The C.M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge surrounding the reservoir was part of their lineage, an area in which their ancestors once thrived until being wiped out in the early 20th century by a “combination of livestock competition, habitat loss, disease, and unregulated hunting.” That's according to a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks publication from 2010.

Brett French asks, is history repeating itself?  This year, Montana FWP biologists located only five bighorns in Hunting District 622, one of which died while being observed and was retrieved for a post-mortem exam. FWP has not yet released results.

In light of the severe population decline, the Fish and Wildlife Commission decided in an emergency meeting last month to close HD 622 to all bighorn sheep hunting.

What caused the once thriving band of bighorn sheep to vanish? It's a puzzle, as something has changed and wildlife managers are still uncertain as to what change that might be.

But the puzzle needs to be solved before FWP moves to transplant any more sheep into the area.

Find out much more about speculation into their demise and possible measures to be taken to slow or eliminate the die-offs in Brett's fascinating deep-dive into the subject here.