When people learn that I work for Fish and Game, they immediately assume I am a conservation officer. When I tell them I am a wildlife biologist, most don’t know what a biologist does or they assume I spend all of my time in the field looking at animals.
In reality, much of my time is spent in the office helping hunters plan hunts and answering questions from the public. But I do occasionally get in the field to monitor populations.
This week I was able to spend several days on the East Fork Owyhee River monitoring bighorn sheep lamb production with a coworker. In March of this year, I spent several days with a team of biologists capturing and radio-collaring bighorn sheep as part of this study.
These sheep are equipped with gps collars that acquire several locations every day. Biologists and researchers are monitoring the radio collared ewes to document lamb production and recruitment over the course of the summer.
A typical day consists of hiking for miles in inaccessible terrain locating a specific bighorn ewe, then spending hours behind a spotting scope, in 90 degree temperatures without any shade, waiting and watching to document whether she has a lamb.
It is grueling work, but it sure beats a day in the office.