# Addition to 2013 Colorado Sheep and Goat Hunting Brochure



## Herb (Dec 12, 2008)

CO DOW has added a new item in the 2013 Sheep and Goat Hunting Brochure. (Page 3)

"Leave your pack goats at home when hunting sheep"

Please leave your pack goats at home during your bighorn hunt. Diseases can be transmitted from goats to bighorns, even if your animals appear healthy. Some diseases can cause large-scale dieoffs of wild bighorns. To prevent disease transmission, keep domestic goats out of areas occupied by bighorn sheep. For more information, go to the CPW website or the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies:
http://www.wafwa.org/documents/wswg/Rec ... gement.pdf.

I would expect similar comments in the 2013 Colorado Big Game Proclomation. I'd expect the National Forest and Land Managers to be following their lead. With the DOW's ability to communicate with so many hunters, I can see support for goats eroding in the hunting community rather quickly.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Fine, I can do that, but in return they need to keep their sheep off my trails for the rest of the year. I dont want my goats catching the level of stupidity that has obviously infected these ignorant bastards via way of their sheep.


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

If they don't want goats to trespass, then they can properly post it as they are required to do for other trespass laws. If the boundaries aren't marked they can't enforce it.


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## Herb (Dec 12, 2008)

From page 14 of the opinion being used, found in the link above.


"The use of domestic sheep or goats as pack animals by
persons that travel in identified wild sheep habitat should
be prohibited by the appropriate management agency (e.g.,
USDA Forest Service 2011). Where legislation or regulations
are not already in place, an outreach program to inform
potential users of the risks associated with that activity
should be implemented to discourage use of domestic sheep
or goats as pack animals."


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## Brian (Sep 29, 2011)

It is amazing the difference of opinion even with biologists. I had my packers on my Washington Sheep hunt a couple different days last year (unfortunately they where not with me on the day I harvested my ram). I even ran into the areas main Bighorn biologist. He was more interested in how much they could pack and all the associated questions than my boys transmitting disease. He said that the chances on one of my goats getting nose to nose contact with a bighorn was next to impossible. 

We have a couple of different sheep herders in the valley that have Forest Service grazing rights. WDFW has been making sure that the bighorns go nowhere near those areas. I had even heard rumors that they had kill a couple of bighorns that showed up in the domestic sheep grazing areas. I believe the biologist said they where trying to keep a minimum of 9 miles of space to avoid contact from domestic sheep grazing. They have even trapped and relocated bighorns to avoid these grazing areas.

We did have a bighorn die off a couple of years ago from the exact bug that they are trying to prevent. The WDFW was never able to connect where it came from. He did ask that if I saw any of the domestic sheep, which are grazed higher up in the mountains, any where near the bighorns to kill them immediately and call him so they could make sure the sheep was not a carrier. I never did see any, but they have had a few in the past.

So, at least in my small areas of Washignton we have one biologist that is not against us. I even welcomed him to bring any of his bosses or other biologist out for a hike just to show them that the Packers shouldn't even be on the radar for disease. He hasn't taken me up on it yet, but he said he would...


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

Cool, would he be willing to be a reference for other biologists as we encounter them?


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## Herb (Dec 12, 2008)

The opinion that the CO DOW references seems to be endorsed by every wildlife agency that has Big Horn Sheep, with a agenda to take any measure to protect them from any threat.......not sure what they are doing about lightning, sure they will recommend it not to be in Bighorn habitat.


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