Rangeland Ecology & Management

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Sheep Losses on Selected Ranches in Southern Wyoming
Author
Tigner, J. R.
Larson, G. E.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
1977-07-01
Body

To help resolve conflicting claims about the severity of predator losses to the sheep industry, sheep losses from all causes were assessed during 1973-75 in five southern Wyoming ranches. Although herd sizes varied seasonally and yearly, about 6,000 ewes and their lambs were monitored each year during spring lambing and the summer and winter grazing seasons. Most of the sheep were tended by herders. Lamb loss was greater than ewe, and spring losses were always greater than summer and winter losses combined. Of 4,440 dead sheep examined, predators killed 1,030 or 23%. Although predation was the largest single cause of death for lambs (24%), weather-related losses such as deaths from exposure, starvation, accidents or disease, if combined, would probably have been higher. Disease killed the most ewes (26%), with predation the second most important cause of death (18%). Of the deaths from predation, coyotes caused 77%, black bears 11%, and golden eagles 9%. During the 3 years, known predator kills were 0.2% of the ewes each year and 1.5%, 2.1%, and 3.2%, respectively, of the lambs from the study herds. There were 1,235 ewes and lambs missing, mostly after the summer season, mainly due to miscounting and loose management from one ranch. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020

Language
en
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Journal Issue/Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.2307/3897297
Additional Information
Tigner, J. R., & Larson, G. E. (1977). Sheep losses on selected ranches in southern Wyoming. Journal of Range Management, 30(4), 244-252.
IISN
0022-409X
OAI Identifier
oai:repository.arizona.edu:10150/646724
Journal Volume
30
Journal Number
4
Journal Pages
244-252
Journal Name
Journal of Range Management
Keywords
Wyoming