Bighorn Sheep

[reddog]

Today I found myself in a discussion about what happened the heard of Sheep in Pusch ridge. The guy, read anti, I was talking with said that they were hunted to extinction? I of course do not believe that, I was under the impression that they were under to much pressure form hikers, airplanes and the encroaching community. I was wondering if anybody could help shed some light on this.

 

Thanks

 

Steve

[Becker]

I heard the same rumors as you. To much human encroughment...

[DesertBull]

Did they disappear or were they moved?

 

The sheep in Morenci don't seem to mind humans.

[Becker]

At the U of A here in Tucson there was a study on such aspects at the saurita mine. Dr. Krausman, a professor here was the man in charge. In his wildlife management class that was his input (human interaction was bad for them) but in this study there were pics of bighorn sheep next to buildings etc. And I myself have seen them in Morenci staring at the truck as you drive by 10 ft away. They didn't seem to mind. Sooooo not sure what that means

[COUESAZ]

Are they the same heard of sheep that are being blinded by deseas from the goats placed there by the guy who started johnson ranch and other housing developments.

[DesertBull]

I think those blind sheep are in the Silverbell Mountains, unit 37A.

[kwp]

As Desertbull said the blind sheep are the ones in the Silverbells. I may be wrong but I thought that G&F and the sheep society removed those and have started a new, healthy herd there. Any sheep society members know anything about efforts done in the Silverbells?

 

I don't know much about the Pusch Ridge herd but know that at all of the trailheads going into the area there are signs saying that the bighorn numbers in the area are down and to try not to disturb them. Dogs are not allowed for this exact reason.

[.270]

you're talking about 2 different types of sheep. desert sheep don't like to be around folks at all and are wild as heck. them tame stupid morenci sheep are the mountain variety. they're like the retards of the sheep family. Lark.

[Avion]

I grew up in Tucson in the early seventies and spent a lot of time in the Pusch ridge area and heard there were sheep in there. Never saw any but about that time was when they put up those signs. The seventies was when the hippies were into nature and taking their dogs with them. I know sheep are curious about people but can't stand dogs. Maybe they got wise and moved over to the Silverbells.

[bullwidgeon]

The sheep in the Silverbells are fine. I know, I killed most of the goats with my bare hands, and went back and watched them rut and lamb succesfully last year. The sheep on Pusch/Catalinas disapeared and no one really knows why. They were not "hunted to exticntion". At most they only had 2 tags that I can recall a year and most of the sheep killed were old mature rams. The sheep moved around alot all the time, at times collared sheep could be found as far away as the Superstitions and Owl Heads/Tortolitas. Maybe they found the sheep in the Galiuros and went over there, Redfield ain't a whole long ways from Pusch, Romero, Cargadero and Sutherland where the sheep really liked to hang out in the old days. Maybe disease got them from some goat or sheep raiser in Catalina or Oro Valley, a 2 mile flight uphill is nothing for an infected fly. Maybe fire supression over the years on that end of the mountain allowed the jojoba and catclaw to get so tall that tigres got 'em. No one really knows. All we know is they are gone for the most part and unless people do something they will most likely remain gone.

 

Bret M.

[billrquimby]

There is no basis for my thinking this, but I strongly suspect that a fire in the lambing area on the north side of Pusch Ridge had a great deal to do with the decline of the sheep on that mountain.

 

The south side of the ridge got hit hard by hundreds of hikers each week, but the north side remained a sanctuary until the fire stimulated new growth in the lambing area. I do know that there was a dedicated group of hunters who went ut and glassed up the sheep as often as they could. A year or two after the fire, just about everyone started glassing up mountain lions. The high grass and brush brought on by the fire gave the lions an edge over the sheep, IMO.

 

I also suspect that building the resort and condominiums on the north side didn't help, either.

 

The Pusch Ridge desert sheep are different from the RM bighorns in Morenci in that people invaded their secure areas. In Morenci, the sheep still have a place to go to escape people when so inclined.

 

Incidentally, I flew on a game department helicopter sheep survery years ago that began in Sabino Canyon and went across the south slope of the Catalinas and around to above what now is Catalina State Park. The purpose supposedly was to learn if sheep were found in places other than Pusch Ridge.

 

We lifted off at the end of the road in the canyon flew 50-60 mph across the mountain and didn't slow down until we got to Pima Canyon. Then we flew around in the canyon until we spooked some sheep. From there we went around the ridge and hit the three or four canyons where sheep were being seen regularly. We really didn't "hunt" in places where they hadn't been reported.

 

Also, a couple of years after sheep were planted in Redfield Canyon, I drove up on a small group of ewes on the road up Oracle Ridge. I had just entered the pine zone below the fire station. Not long after that a collared ram from Pusch Ridge was reported in Redfield.

 

A collared ram from the Catalinas also was seen in the Picacho Mountains.

 

BillQ