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Sept. 24, 2007
Texas Bighorn Sheep Population Continues To Flourish
AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists aren't getting tired of counting sheep, desert bighorn sheep to be specific.
"It's still kind of hard to believe," said Mike Pittman, who oversees the three state wildlife management areas that form the nucleus of Texas' bighorn sheep program. "We used to bust our tails trying to see 100 sheep in the Sierra Diablo Mountains because that meant we had what we considered a viable population."
"It's been a long, slow progression," said Pittman. "Bighorn sheep do not typically disperse as their populations grow, so expansion into new areas has taken time. But, we're seeing a little movement."
As herds grow, Pittman explained, the social structure evolves and populations become more stable. "There's safety in numbers," he noted. "It helps protect against predation and to ensure reproduction. There's a lot of social interaction; the older ones teach the younger ones how to survive and the dominant ewes show the younger ones things like where the lambing areas are. There's just a lot of learning dynamics that go on."
One threat to the bighorn sheep that hasn't gone away ironically comes from another sheep. The aoudad, or Barbary sheep, is an exotic species imported into Texas from northern Africa coincidentally about the same time the last known native bighorn sheep disappeared.
"It's pretty hard country to live in anyway, but having to share it with an exotic ungulate like the aoudad, that makes it tough," said Pittman.
As surplus rams are identified by wildlife biologists during population surveys, a select few hunting permits become available. "When a ram is seven to 10 years of age, we start to see changes in his behavior," Pittman noted. "He becomes more reclusive from the herd and his physical appearance may be deteriorating. We know that he's already contributed to the herd for several years. That's what we consider a surplus animal."
"Regardless of the score, I don't think we've ever had an unhappy hunter," said Pittman. "They're always tickled to death to harvest a Texas sheep regardless what it scores. They understand the significance of having a surplus ram available because it means the bighorns are doing well."
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