Biologist’s Corner

by Kevin Hurley

Vice President of Conservation

THE BEST TIME OF YEAR

Like many WSF members, wildlife biologists also enjoy late summer/early fall days out in the field, whether they’re working (checking hunters, running game check stations, collecting harvest information and biological samples, visiting with their constituents) or occasionally getting to hunt themselves. It might be early-season mourning doves (before they exit to the south), an archery/bugle elk hunt, sneaking on wily pronghorn over a waterhole, calling a lovesick bull moose out of thick willows, marveling at how that muley buck’s behavior changes as the rut kicks in, and all kinds of waterfowl and/or upland game bird hunting.

My personal favorite time in early fall has always been hunting mountain sheep or mountain goats, up high, cruising ridgetops, climbing up and down till it hurts, glassing till you swear you can’t take another look at the same slope, when out of nowhere, a group of rams or a lone billy somehow appears. Game on!

In my opinion, there is no better time of year than right now, as I write this column on the last hot day of August at an elevation well below where I’d rather be, sitting, glassing, hiking, riding, convincing myself or my buddies to stay patient, we’re in good country, something’s gonna show up, at any moment.

At WSF HQ, we vicariously live through the fabulous hunts, seemingly endless climbs and descents, incredible views, and outstanding photos of live or harvested rams that our members send us, post to their favorite social media platforms, or we somehow stumble across. From mid-July, rams taken in the NW Territories, to those great Montana rams often harvested the week before Thanksgiving, and to those warrior desert rams hunted when daytime temps are tolerable in Mexico or the southwestern U.S., for many, this is why we do what we do.

Of course, most places don’t offer the opportunity to hunt wild sheep, every year. In Alaska, the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Alberta, and a few hunt districts in Montana, over-the-counter ram hunting opportunities exist. Most everywhere else, long-term persistence or flat-out luck result in drawing a limited-entry ram hunting license.

Many years ago (too many to remember the exact figures), I put together a summary that indicated approximately 14,000 people/year were able to hunt wild sheep in the U.S. and Canada, with roughly 3,000 rams being harvested annually. Of course, some jurisdictions offer more licenses than others, and there always seems to be perennial wrangling over resident vs. non-resident allocation/ opportunity. For many of us, having the good fortune (or, just plain fortune) to be able to hunt for, and hopefully harvest, a wild ram is how dreams come true.

I have no idea how many stories I’ve read about the young hunters who devoured Jack O’Connor stories by flashlight, under their blankets and bedding. How many have sat in a duck blind or a tree stand, dreaming about some day being able to go on a ram hunt? How many old-timers harken back, clearly recall, or downright embellish their sheep hunting stories from long ago, wishing their tired bodies could once again hunt those ridgelines?

For me, the most crystalline memories of the sheep hunts I’ve done, or helped friends and family on, are the experiences, the stories, the suffering, the accomplishments, the photos, the laughter, the tears, and the emotional roller-coaster ride that is sheep hunting. I wouldn’t trade my memories.

During my almost 30 years with the State of Wyoming, I had the privilege of plugging hundreds of rams harvested in NW Wyoming. When I’d see a sheep hunter, wearing sneakers or soft shoes, shuffle in to the Cody Game & Fish office to get their ram plugged, that was always one of the first questions I would ask them? “How are your feet doing?” I’d usually get a smile, then, the stories flowed.

To all of our members and nonmembers, ram hunters (successful or not), wild sheep conservation stakeholders, outfitters and guides who help so many dreams come true, and the biologists who manage our wild sheep herds, and help provide these indelible memories, my thanks, and my promise that the Wild Sheep Foundation will continue our efforts To Put and Keep Wild Sheep on the Mountain®! WS

MPS Reception - Reno, NV - 2022

The Marco Polo Society® (MPS) is the Wild Sheep Foundation’s premier major giving “society” whose members have given and/or pledged a minimum of $100,000 to the Foundation. Gifts are donor-directed, tax-deductible and can be made to the WSLF Endowment Fund, WSF Conservation Fund, or Area of Greatest Need. Additionally, funds may be allocated to specific grant-inaid, education or advocacy initiatives and programs. The $100,000 pledge can be contributed in annual installments up to a maximum of 10 years.

Since its inception in 2008, more than $7.5 million in MPS gifts/ pledges have been directed to WSF and mission programs. WSF’s objective is 100 Marco Polo Society members resulting in a $10 million major gift campaign.

WSF SALUTES OUR MARCO POLO SOCIETY® MEMBERS TO DATE - Alphabetical Order

Shane & Angela Alexander (TN) Lee & Penny Anderson (FL) Anonymous Anonymous Stanford & Pamela Atwood (CA) John & Jane Babler (MN) Scott & Erica Barry (MI) Brian & Debbie Benyo (OH) Gary Bogner (MI) Dan & Kathy Boone (TX) Jerry & Amy Brenner (NC) Steve & Jackie Bruggeman (MN) Peter & Wendy Burchfield (PA) Tony & Virginia Caligiuri (IA) Ron & Billi Carey (AB) Oscar & Valerie Carlson (MN) Walt & Joan Coram (TX) Guinn & Betsy Crousen (TX) Denis & Diane Dale (AB) Dean & Paige Darby (MI) Monty & Becky Davis (TX) Jeff & Jann Demaske (CO) Chris & Jaimie Dianda (NV) Mike & Julie Dianda (NV) Mark & Janice Dickson (CA) Billy Dunbar (AK)

The Fiedeldey Family (OH) Ronald S. Gabriel, MD (CA) Brian and Susan Ham (AZ) Marc & Cheryl Hansen (PA) Jim & Sue Hens (NY) Tom & Denise Hoffman (NY) Steve & Jill Hornady (NE) Larry & Jane Hunts (OR) Kevin Hurley (ID) Ross & Nicole Jackson (CO) Scott Jesseman (IL) Kaan & Nurgul Karakaya (TUR) G. Thomas & Patricia Lang (FL) George & Kelly Lawrence (WA) Doug & Dana Leech (WV) Thomas Lemmerholz (GER) Jeff Lindgren (MN) Paul Mattes (MI) Kyle & Joanne Meintzer (NV) Craig & Therese Mueller (ID) Richard & Linda Murphy (NM) The Olmstead Family (BC) Mark & Gabriela Peterson (MI) Ron & Vicki Pomeroy (WY) Larry & Brenda Potterfield (MO) Rancho La Palmosa (MEX)

Joni & Gary W. Raba (TX) Terry Rathert (TX) Gary & Yvonne Rigotti (OR) Christopher Ring (TX) Kevin & Janine Rinke (MI) Alan & Barbara Sackman (NY) Doug & Shelly Sayer (ID) Roger Segebrecht (WI) Kip & Sue Slaugh (UT) Kevin & Tuesdy Small (CA) J. Alain Smith (WA) Mike Snider (MI) Daryll & Shauna Southwick (CO) Brandon & Kristi Stokes (OR) Jelindo & Sandee Tiberti (NV) Matt Tomseth (OR) Tim & Ruth Van Der Weide (IA) Ken & Anna Vorisek (AK) Craig West (NC) Steven & Ardyce Whisler (MT) Clayton & Modesta Williams (TX) Lyle & Jennifer Wood (AB) Russ & Debi Young (TX) Gary & Penny Young (WV) Alan Young (YT)

Paige Culver - Development Manager 406.404.8758 or pculver@wildsheepfoundation.org

Gray N. Thornton - President & CEO 406.404.8750 or gthornton@wildsheepfoundation.org