Sheep Changes Coming
- Thread starter sheephunter
- Start date
There's a really big SOB behind the ski hill at sync line....but he is broke off past full curl....saw him in 2012 and last fall.
I really don't have to justify anything about knowing sheep, however I have greater respect of what our biologists know than you. I can't say I wish you good luck on the draw, except try be thankful what you have instead of complaining.
53 pages and Sheephunter banned, testimony to the passion which Hunters of the Big Horns lavish on their pursuit.
Grizz
LOL. you need to change your settings. 100 posts per page and its only 6 pages.
That's good - cause our bio thinks full curl is the answer. And to still be able to hunt sheep on the mountain with a general license would indeed make me thankful.
There is a full curl ram on Syncline Mountain. Have you scouted for him since? I know if someone gave me information about a 180+ whitetail in a certain area, I would of been out the door lickety split searching for him, or at least his sheds.
The servay numbers need to be taken with a course grain of salt... When was the last arial servay done also? Last I've heard 2011. We are talking 3-11 sheep depending on the zone to gets these numbers to 5% trophy sheep. They may have easily been missed. Even if it did go full curl this 5% would be reached in a year. So when they get it up to 15-20% are they going to give us our hunting opportunity back? HA.... Also the study is not even complete so why their ergent need to announce a change? The number we have been dealing with have been very stable the last 20 years.
http://esrd.alberta.ca/fish-wildlif...ighornSheepManagementInAlberta-Feb03-2012.pdf
Here is the sheep management plan. It's discussed in here.
The "urgent" change needed has been sitting on the back burner for many years. The Issue of herd dynamics was discussed in the 1993 sheep management plan. And again in 2012. If anything, the government is painfully slow to move on many things including wildlife management.
Since the change in 400 the percentage of Rams past 4/5 curl has grown well into the comfort zone of the management plan while at the same time providing us with opportunity to hunt sheep on an open season with reasonable success. They kill good numbers of full curl Rams in there every year, in a tiny zone with extremely easy access. I'm thinking long term this will be good for the sheep herd and sheep hunting. I sure a heck don't want to see it go on draw and this keeps us hunting long term on an open season while letting them reach the management goal.
No, you're talking 3-11 "trophy rams" to get to those numbers and that assuming no ewes/lambs/small rams got missed.
I have no clue who Bvw is - but he has read the draft and has provided a link where others can go and read for themselves, which really suggests a unbiased view.
I find that totally refreshing compared to someone who tells me they have read it, suggest they are the absolute authority on the subject, that they possess information that they can't share and insist that the government position has no merit and there is a huge conspiracy by Gov't to take our hunting opportunity away.
As I mentioned before - read the proposal and talk directly to the bios, don't take my word for it. Sometimes information directly form the horses mouth can set things straight - or at least give you concrete points to start a discussion about possible shortfalls in the proposal.
What is really unfair is how some suggestions in this thread that nefarious behaviour and unethical discussions have happened, or that folks in the south have a "agenda". I do know Tempest and Patty - and I can tell you these guys have no motive, other than to get out and hunt and that they genuinely give a crap about the resource. They are regular folks with nothing to gain with a regulation change. I am not sure that could be said with all of the participants given the nature of the discussion. And to suggest the bio in the south is anything but a stand up guy is laughable - phone him yourself, he will talk directly to you. Then let me hear what your thoughts are.
I find that totally refreshing compared to someone who tells me they have read it, suggest they are the absolute authority on the subject, that they possess information that they can't share and insist that the government position has no merit and there is a huge conspiracy by Gov't to take our hunting opportunity away.
As I mentioned before - read the proposal and talk directly to the bios, don't take my word for it. Sometimes information directly form the horses mouth can set things straight - or at least give you concrete points to start a discussion about possible shortfalls in the proposal.
What is really unfair is how some suggestions in this thread that nefarious behaviour and unethical discussions have happened, or that folks in the south have a "agenda". I do know Tempest and Patty - and I can tell you these guys have no motive, other than to get out and hunt and that they genuinely give a crap about the resource. They are regular folks with nothing to gain with a regulation change. I am not sure that could be said with all of the participants given the nature of the discussion. And to suggest the bio in the south is anything but a stand up guy is laughable - phone him yourself, he will talk directly to you. Then let me hear what your thoughts are.
I have no clue who anyone on here is. I just have a keen interest in the topic and think that it is the right direction to take in managing our sheep. I just started posting on here because this topic came up.
Here is a link to some research on the effects of shifting the age harvest to an older age class of Rams and what happened to a Dall sheep herd in a particular area of Alaska that was subject to heavy hunting pressure, much like most if not all of Alberta is. I think the success they found is what's possible for our sheep herd and hunting. If you can get through it and grasp what this paper says I think it is pretty convincing, especially if you are familiar with V. Geists research. I wish those who are adamantly opposed to the changes would take a moment and with an open mind look at this as well as become familiar of Geist's research. I think it would change a lot of minds. Take five minutes to read it if you are a sheep nut like myself.
http://media.nwsgc.org/proceedings/NWSGC-1990/1990-Heimer & Watson.pdf
Here is a link to some research on the effects of shifting the age harvest to an older age class of Rams and what happened to a Dall sheep herd in a particular area of Alaska that was subject to heavy hunting pressure, much like most if not all of Alberta is. I think the success they found is what's possible for our sheep herd and hunting. If you can get through it and grasp what this paper says I think it is pretty convincing, especially if you are familiar with V. Geists research. I wish those who are adamantly opposed to the changes would take a moment and with an open mind look at this as well as become familiar of Geist's research. I think it would change a lot of minds. Take five minutes to read it if you are a sheep nut like myself.
http://media.nwsgc.org/proceedings/NWSGC-1990/1990-Heimer & Watson.pdf
