The Bighorn gift
by CRAIG JOURDONNAIS - FWP Biologist
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Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials, with the help of various volunteer groups have spent many hours culling sheep sick with pneumonia from the East Fork herd in an attempt to prevent the herd’s decimation in a die-off.
CRAIG JOURDONNAIS - FWP
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A photo of four bighorns rams, paired off and butting heads simultaneously, graced my work computer screen-saver for over two years. I snapped the photo of these Spanish Peaks rams along the Gallatin River during late winter 2008. Our family moved to the Bitterroot a few months later.
The photo inspired me on two levels. First, I had never experienced four rams, each paired with another, butting heads at the exact same time. Second, I had just proposed a hunting season for 5 bighorn rams in this district for the 2008 hunting season. The proposed hunting season served as a management milestone.
Originally, the Spanish Peaks herd offered one of a few unlimited bighorn sheep hunting opportunities in Montana. The season was open to any hunter willing to apply for a permit and hunt the rugged backcountry of the Spanish Peaks Wilderness. The season remained open until hunters harvested a specific number of legal rams. The ram quota hovered around 6-8 rams annually. That was before the die-off.
This herd experienced severe mortality in newborn lambs over the course of 3 years. The herd declined from 170 sheep to less than 50. Fish, Wildlife and Parks, with support from the hunting public, closed the bighorn sheep hunting season in the ‘Peaks’ in 2000.
The sheep herd responded tremendously during my tenure as FWP wildlife biologist in the Gallatin. I don’t claim any responsibility or expertise. The Peaks herd simply did their thing. I got to watch and document their comeback. By the late fall of 2007, there were 170 sheep roaming the Spanish Peaks again.
This holiday season, I changed my screen-saver. I still have bighorns, but these sheep are different; sort of. Let me explain.
Many of you are aware of the serious die-off occurring in the East Fork sheep heard near Sula. The disease outbreak began in mid-November has claimed over 60 sheep so far. We are not out of the woods yet. The pneumonia/mycoplasma complex usually devastates a bighorn sheep herd. The East Fork herd numbered over 200 sheep previous to this outbreak.
As an exploratory mission, and one we all hope will blunt the otherwise certain die-off of most of this herd, FWP and many local volunteers have worked relentlessly to cull any sheep that exhibit symptoms of the disease. The theme is simple; harvest the few to save the masses. Hope that our actions influence a positive outcome is the only thing that keeps all of us sane during this gut-wrenching endeavor. Head butting bighorns provided hope and inspiration once again during a particularly difficult day in the field.
I had just collected a sick lamb, a sheep so sick that it couldn’t move. Several other FWP employees and volunteers from Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association, Wild Sheep Foundation and some unattached, were combing the rugged slopes above the East Fork in sub-zero temperatures performing similar actions.
As I spent the next 30 minutes extracting tissue samples from the sheep for our lab experts I heard the familiar hollow thud caused by rams butting heads. As I worked my way into Bunch Gulch I spied the two rams. I watched them for over an hour. It was the first time since mid-November that I simply watched sheep for the pure enjoyment of observation. No need to evaluate for the familiar symptoms of disease.
The rams butted heads over 30 times. Several of the collisions sent fresh chips of horn flying into the frigid December air. These rams served up an inspiring and hope-filled spectacle. The rams fought their way onto my screen-saver. They are a gift. Much like the incredible dedication from other FWP employees and local volunteers gifting their time and energy during this present saga with East Fork sheep.
These battle-hardened rams exemplify the grit and spirit of what we all hope survives this current disease setback. The assistance and passion from all the human counterparts participating in this endeavor reflects what this holiday season is all about. What a gift to the valley.
You can almost hear the melody of that famous reindeer song.
They go by the names of
Tony, JD, Lou and Vicki,
Jerry, Neil, Jennifer and Charlie,
Tom, Joe, Mike and Jim,
Ray, Jay, Paul and Allan,
Jeff, Andrea, Bob and Steve.
Thank you for all of your help. Christmas blessings to all, and to all a good night.
Craig Jourdonnais is the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department wildlife biologist for the Bitterroot Valley. He writes a monthly column for the Ravalli Republic.
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Reader's Comments >>
DREAM ON wrote on Dec 24, 2009 12:38 PM:
CRAIG, many thanks from someone who knows how hard you work and how much you care..From reading many articles in our papers and some of the letters, I see what a thankless job you really have..All I can say is,'KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK and KEEP YOUR CHIN UP". We are not all 'against you! You do have support out here. "
Sheepnut wrote on Dec 18, 2009 10:03 AM: