DESERT BIGHORN COUNCIL TRANSACTIONS VOLUME 17 1973 Desert Bighorn Council DESERT BIGHORN COUNCIL 1973 TRANSACTIONS DESWi BIGHORN COUNCIL, INC. 1500 North DecatuiBoulevard - hsvegas, Nevada 89108 A COMPILATION OF PAPERS PRESENTED AT THE 17TH ANNUAL MEETING, APRIL 3-6, 1973, AT HAWTHORNE, NEVADA. Editorial Cornittee: J. Juan Spil lett, (Chairman), Char1 es Hansen, Norman Simmons, Wi 11 iam Graf Ray Brechbill , and Jack Helvie Copies available by sending $5.00 to Desert Bighorn Council 1500 N. Decatur Blvd., Las Vegas, Nevada 89108 Robert D. "Jake" Metherell died on February 7, 1973, when the private plane he was piloting crashed in the Rubyvalley south of Wells, Nevada. Jake was born January 23, 1928, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He attended Lycoming College in Williamsport and received a B.S. degree in biology in 1955. He married Connie Heim in 1951 and they had three children - Kenneth, Michael, and Kathy. Jake began his career with the National Park Service in 1956 as a seasonal ranger at Acadia National Park, Maine. He held increasingly responsible positions at Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, 1957-58; Acadia National Park, 1958-61; Yose- mite National Park, California, 1961-66; Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 1966- 67; National Park Service, Washington Office, 1967-68; Zion National Park, Utah, 1968-69; Southern Utah Group, Cedar City, Utah, 1969-73. Jake was extremely likeable and very much a gentleman. He was a man of high principles and had a deep cormnitment to the perpetuation of resource values for use of future generations. Perhaps his outstanding attribute was the ability to understand and to motivate people to work together for a common goal. Cooperative relations between personnel of various agencies and interest groups were invariabl: at a high level wherever Jake was stationed. Jake long had a love for and an interest in bighorn sheep. Upon arrival in southe: Utah in 1968, he became intrigued with the possibility of reintroducing desert bighorn sheep i~ltuZion National Park. Restoration of this magnificent animal had been considered for many years, but nothing had ever been accomplished. Jake begar DESERT BIGHORN COUNCIL 1973 TRANSACTIONS discussing :he proposal with various authorities within the Utah Divisio? of Wildlife Reiources, Nevada Fish and Game Department, National Park Service, Bureau of L:ind Management, and with local interest individuals and groups. Habitat appiared to be suitable for sheep and interzst was positive. A 1.20- acre enclos::re was completed in Zion Canyon in 1970 near the North Fork of the Virgin .:iver. Availability of desert bighorn naw became the critical. factor. Finally in :973, 12 animals (5 ewes, 4 lambs, and 3 rams) were captured at the Lake Mead N; tional Recreation Area in Nevada and transported to the relesse site in Zion Par!.. Survival has,been good and 2 lambs were born in December cf 1973, indicating that the population has adjusted to the new conditions. While the reintroduction of desert bighorn sheep into Zion National Park is an accomplishment for all concerned, it is particularly a tribute to ,Jake's interest in the species, his persistence for accomplishment, and most import- antly in his unique ability to get people of diverse backgrounds and management philosophies to cooperate in a common goal. Jake will be missed by all who knew him. ?aul W. Shields Division of Wildlife Management U.S. Forest Service Ogden, Utah 84401 DESERT BIGHORN COUNCIL 1973 TRANSACTIONS TABLE OF CONTENTS Page NEVADA'S DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP -- 1972 ............... Jack R. Cooper 1 and Robert McQuivey A CALIFORNIA BIGHORN TRANSPLANT ON THE CHARLES SHELDON ANTELOPE RANGE IN NEVADA ... W. D. "Pete" Carter OVIS-ON-THE-ROCKS ...WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM My FRIENDS ................................... 'James A. Blaisdell CALIFORNIA ' S BIGIIORN MANAGEMENT PLAN. ............. Richard A. Weaver HABITAT MANAGEMENT ON THE TROY BIGHORN RANGE, NEVADA ....Jerry Reese and Garth Baxter DISEASE LOSSES IN NEVADA BIGHORN ................ Robert E.L. Taylor ANALYSIS OF BIGHORN HABITAT IN THE SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS .................................. Jerome T. Light, Jr. TIME-LAPSE PHOTOGRAPHY CENSUS OF BIGHORNS AT THE DESERT NATIONAL WILDLIFE RANGE ..... George M. Constantino CAPTURE AND CARE OF FOUR SPECIES OF MOUNTAIN SHEEP .................r................. Edward N. Lacey THE DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP OF ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK .............................. Mark C. Jorgensen and Robert E. Turner, Jr. PANEL ON CURRENT BURRO STATUS IN BIGHORN RANGES PANEL INTRODUCTION ........................... James A. Blaisdell BURRO VERSUS BIGHORN .......................... Richard A. Weaver BURRO MANAGEMENT AND THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ............................ Francis "Jake" Jacot THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE'S ROLE REGARDING BURROS ............ Dell 0. Clark THE 1971 WILD HORSE AND BURRO ACT .............. Roscoe E. Ferris SELECTIVE EXCLUSION FENCING IN WILD BURRO AND BIGHORN SHEEP MANAGEMENT ......................... Edward Cleary KARYOTYPE AND HEMOGLOBIN PATTERN OF NELSON ' S DESERT BIGHORN (Ovis- canadensis nelsoni) .........Thomas D. Bunch, Warren C. Foote and J. Juan Spillett PROGRESS AT ARAVAIPA .............................. Robert K. Weaver SURVEY OF POTENTIAL BIGHORN HABITATS ON NATIONAL RESOURCE LAND IN THE SOUTHWEST ................................. Jim Yoakum GUIDELINES FOR CAPTURING AND RE -ESTABLISHING DESERT BIGHORNS... Lanny 0. Wilson, Jerry Day, Jack Helvie, Gerald Gates, Tommy L. Hailey, and George K. Tsukamoto BIGHORN SHEEP CAPTURE TECHNIQUES ..................... Bill Montoya HAND-RAISING OF DESERT BIGHORN LAMBS .............. Verna Hightower and Gerald Gates SEMEN COLLECTION, FREEZING AND ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION IN WILD SHEEP: A PRELIMINARY REPORT ............ Warren C. Foote and Edward F. Graham ATTENDANCE ROSTER ................................................. DBC OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES ........................................ INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DBC TRANSACTIONS. ............ hack cover All drawings courtesy of Pat Hansen DESERT BIGHORN COUNCIL 1973 TRANSACTIONS NEVADA'S DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP - 1972 Jack R. Cooper and Robert McQuivey Nevada Department of Fish and Game Las Vegas, Nevada 89108 Abstract. ~evada's1972 bighorn sheep hunt represents its 20th season since 1952. Tag quotas were increased from 48 to 54. Fifty-three hunters harvested 21 rams, or a 39.6% success ratio. A total of 424 bighorn sheep were classified during 73.3 hours of helicopter flight time on 21 units in 3 counties. Composition ratios were 70 rams/100 ewes and 31 lambs/100 ewes. Water developments by the Nevada Department of Fish and Game and the Bureau of Land Management are being negotiated. The Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn Sheep also is constructing a water development. ~evada's1972 bighorn sheep hunt represents its 20th season since 1952. Dates of the hunt were December 16 thru 31 in the Pintwater Range on the Nellis Air Force Bombing Range, and from November 18 thru December 17 elsewhere. There were a total of 54 tags on 10 hunting units, 49 resident and 5 nonresident tags. One resident, however, did not hunt. With the addition of Unit 21 this year, the total number of tags was increased by 6 as compared to 1971. Two alternate tags were issued: one because the original tag holder failed to attend the required indoctrination course, and the other because of a hunter's inability to parti- cipate in the hunt. The latter provided sufficient notice to the Department so that a tag could be issued to an alternate. The demand for tags has remained high, with 6.6 and 57.8 applicants, respectively, for each residen~and nonresident.tag. The ratio of resident applications to tags available increased over the previous year, while the nonresident ratio decreased slightly. DESERT BIGHORN COWCIL 1973 TRANSACTIONS During the 1972 season, 21 rams were harvested for a hunter success ratio of 39.6%. As in the past, nonresident hunters faired better than resident hunters. They had a 100% success ratio, as compared to 32X for residents. In that nonresidents frequently use the ser~icesof experienced guides, while residents du not, has contributed greatly to differences in success. Unit 24 had a 100% smcess j:atio on its 6-tag quota, while Units 26 and 27D2 reported-no sheep harvested (Table 1). The youngest ram checked was a 2-year-old, and the oldest was 11. Ten cams (47.6% of the harvest,) were less than 7 years old. The average age of checked rams was 6.33 years, which is the lowest average age since the inception of the current 7-year-old or 144 Boone and Crockett "Ti-ophy Ram Regulation of 1965." The largest head scored an unofficial 165-318 Boone and Crockett points. Two rams (9% of the total harvest) scored under 144 points (Table 2). Hunter effort during the 1972 sheep season was high. Fifty-three hunters hunted a total of 515 hunter-days. Successful hunters averaged 6.8 days, while unsuccess- ful hunters averaged 11.1 days. Hunters reported seeing 1,109 sheep during the hunt. These were: 406 rams, of which 157 were classified as legal and 249 as young rams; 529 ewes. and 116 lainbs--an averall ram/ewe/lamb rai-io of 76/100/22. Fifty-eight wePe unclassified. The largest number (1-8 sheep) was reported for Unit 21, followed bv Units 2752 with 160 and Unit 27D2 with 159. Since 1952. a total of 494 sheep have been harvested by 1,582 hunters under the tag q~ocasvstem for an average hunter success of 31%. Under the "Trophy Ram Regalation" che success ratio has averaged 28% during the past 8 years as compared to 30.4%, ui~derthe 3/4 curl law. This indicates the current ."Trophy Ram Regulation" has resulted i~ a slight decrease in :he number of rams harvested. Some young rams are r.eported killed and left in the field each year. The hunters' character as a group changes each year; one year the majority will insist on better trophys. while the next year they will take the first Legal ram they can flnd. The 1atte.r was the case during 1972. Young animals probably will cont i nue to oe har./ested under the present "Trophv Ram Regulations.