The new year is here, and like many of you, I like to spend some time reflecting on the past year and thinking about the future. I’m a glass half full guy, and this past year was full of successes. We were able to advocate and fund the bighorn sheep transplant in the Little Belt Mountains, reintroduce bighorns into the Tendoy Mountains, and assist in the early phases of a capture and collar project in Highland Mountains. We advocated for wild sheep conservation and our hunting heritage at the 2021 Montana Legislative Session and continued to foster good relationships with our neighbors at Montana Fish Wildlife, and Parks, Montana Wool Growers, the Wild Sheep Foundation, and many others.

I couldn’t be more proud of the progress we made last year, and you should be too. We directed over $100,000 to wild sheep initiatives. The dedication of our members and sponsors to fund projects year after year is strengthening Montana’s bighorn sheep herds. For that, I offer you a sincere thank you! I also want to thank our Executive Director Brian Solan, Conservation Director Kurt Alt, and the Board of Directors for their hard work this past year. All of these folks bring an incredible amount of dedication and talent to wild sheep conservation efforts in Montana.

It is important to celebrate our successes and I look forward to raising a glass with you at our 30th Annual Banquet and Fundraiser, in Butte, America! We opened ticket sales in December and sold out within weeks. We worked with the hotel to secure overflow seating and those seats were also sold out. That is a testament to the energy our members bring to bighorn conservation. We have some great raffles and auctions planned for the event, in addition to a membership meeting, seminars, and vendors. We cannot wait to see you in February!

I know that some of you will not be able to attend the banquet. I am sorry we will miss each other this year and ask that you consider a donation to Montana Wild Sheep Foundation in lieu of your attendance. Visit our website today to donate!

We still have work to do in Montana to expand wild sheep distribution and to increase our opportunities to interact with these amazing animals. In this coming year we will be working closely with our partners across Montana to influence and fund bighorn sheep projects. Efforts in the Little Belts, Tendoys, Bridgers, and Highlands are evidence that the future is bright for Montana’s most prolific big game species.

D.J. Berg
Montana Wild Sheep Foundation President
dj@montanawsf.org
(406) 366-1849

2021 Life Member Hunt: Dall Sheep in the Brooks Range of Alaska

Story by: Dustin Tetralt

We landed in camp and were greeted by our guide, Mikey. Mikey was not what you would expect out of a sixteen-plus-year sheep guide. All of 5’5” and 49 years old, Mikey was a welder from upstate New York and, at first glance, not someone who you would think crushes mountains for three months a year. Later, I began to see that all of Mikey’s bags and gear were labeled “Mountain Goat Mikey.” I knew that if the outfitter marks his stuff with that title, he probably is going to kill us in the hills.

“What’s the plan for tomorrow, Mikey?” I asked.

“We will just go for a nice easy hike for the first day and not climb unless we see something,” said Mikey that night.

We woke up for the first day of hunting to pleasant skies and cool temps as we made our instant coffee and warmed up some oatmeal with boiling water, with the anticipation palpable between my wife Kathy and I. We got on the trail the first morning. We were in heaven, being total tourists, taking pictures and enjoying the scenery as we picked our way along the river bottom while glassing the green vegetation where it transitions to the rock scree. It wasn’t long before we spotted a few young rams feeding up high in one of the bowls.

Read the whole article in our WildSheep Newsletter, Winter 2022.

Conservation Director’s Update:
Landmark Efforts Developing in Montana for
Bighorn Sheep Conservation and Restoration

Story by: Kurt Alt

The Highlands bighorn sheep project presented in the last newsletter is live – Butte area biologist Vanna Boccadori and Statewide research biologist Dr. Kelly Proffitt started capturing, collaring, and testing bighorn sheep during the last week of January for the Highlands Bighorn Sheep Restoration project.

On December 18, 2021, area biologist Jay Kolby led the second translocation of 33 bighorn sheep into the Little Belt Mountains. Last year 50 bighorn sheep were introduced into the Little Belt Mountains, but experienced high mountain lion mortality (15) their first winter/spring. Houndsmen have been upping their hunting efforts in the bighorn sheep establishment area to relieve/reduce this source of mortality as the population is establishing.

In the last newsletter I noted a major effort is underway to develop science-based separation practices to address co-mingling of wild and domestic sheep. This project is in its final stage of development in collaboration between Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Montana State University College of Agriculture with support by MTWSF, MTWGA and MTWSF/WSF. This is a first-of-its-kind project to develop new tools for managing and minimizing co-mingling between domestic and wild sheep. We are expecting a final work proposal by the end of March. This project will be a 5-10 year effort and require significant collaborative funding and support.

Read the whole article in our WildSheep Newsletter, Winter 2022.