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| Bighorn sheep to be subject of ODFW study in Deschutes Canyon |
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| Oregon Hunters Association contributes $18,475 to fund study |
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 | | CENTRAL OREGONIAN | | Bighorn sheep |
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An $18,475 grant from the Oregon Hunters Association will be used by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to help fund a five-year project to research factors that affect the survival of bighorn sheep in the lower Deschutes River canyon. Funding includes $11,900 from the state organization, $2,975 from the Capitol Chapter of OHA, $2,000 from the Portland Chapter, $1,000 from the Emerald Valley Chapter and $600 from the Redmond Chapter.
This study is a continuation of several past research projects investigating bighorn sheep survival on Steens Mountain, Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge and in the Leslie Gulch area of southeast Oregon.
"Those studies were done after the herds had declined," explained ODFW district wildlife biologist Keith Kohl who will be leading the lower Deschutes bighorn project. "I'm trying to get ahead of the curve by studying the herds while they are still healthy."
Beginning in early December, ODFW will capture 35 bighorn sheep in the lower canyon and fit them with radio collars so their movements can be tracked. As animals die over time, they will be located and the cause of death determined. This will help researchers to identify mortality trends and any specific causes or patterns. For example, other bighorn sheep survival studies have found that predation by mountain lions is an important factor and Kohl notes that the lower Deschutes River Canyon has a growing population of the big cats.
About 300 to 400 bighorn sheep are estimated to currently roam the lower Deschutes River canyon. |
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