Agencies to Radio-collar Bighorn Sheep

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife plan to capture and radio-collar 50 bighorn sheep beginning February 6 from herds along the Snake and Imnaha rivers, and from herds near Troy, Oregon. This capture is part of the ongoing Hells Canyon Initiative to restore bighorn sheep populations. The bighorn sheep will be captured by net-gunning from a helicopter. Biologists will take health samples, radio-collar the sheep and release them on site. This project is part of research to determine movements, survival, and productivity, and factors limiting population growth of resident bighorn sheep in Hells Canyon. The operation is made possible through the cooperative efforts of Shikar-Safari Club International, Wild Sheep Foundation, state wildlife agencies, U. S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management.