BLM said today that all wild horses on the Saylor Creek HMA will be gathered, with 50 to be returned, beginning later this month. Mares selected for return will be treated with contraceptives.
The operation will be carried out with bait traps, according to the news release, and will not be open to public observation.
The HMA covers approximately 101,900 acres in southern Idaho. The AML is 50, for an aimed-at stocking rate of 0.5 wild horses per thousand acres. The current population is 131, including 81 ‘excess’ animals.
The HMA intersects eight grazing allotments. There are no naturally occurring water sources in the area and the horses survive on water provided by ranchers.
The management plan for the HMA assigns 18 times more forage to livestock than the horses. That resource would support an additional 932 wild horses, over ten times the number of animals claimed to be ‘excess.’
Captured animals will be taken to the off-range corrals in Boise. Gather stats and daily reports will be posted at this page.
