Calico Roundup, Day 9

The incident began on September 10. Gather stats through September 18:

Target: Horses
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Category: Cruel and costly
Captured: 459, up from 351 on Day 7
Average daily take: 51.0
Capture goal: 1,076
Removal goal: 1,036
Returned: None
Deaths: 12, up from 8 on Day 7
Shipped: 404, up from 251 on Day 7

The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.

Three horses were put down on Day 8, followed by one more on Day 9. Most would be alive today if there was no roundup.

The death rate is 2.6%.

The capture total includes 180 stallions, 208 mares and 71 foals.

Youngsters represented 15.5% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 46.4% were male and 53.6% were female.

The herd can’t be growing at a rate of 20% per year with a birth rate of 16% per year.

A better estimate would be 11% per year, assuming a death rate of 5% per year.

Body condition scores were not provided.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.

Day 9 ended with 43 unaccounted-for animals.

Mares treated with fertility control may be returned to the area at a later date.

Other statistics:

Horses allowed by plan (AML): 952
Forage assigned to horses: 11,424 AUMs per year
Pre-gather population: 1,593
Forage liberated to date: 5,508 AUMs per year
Water liberated to date: 4,590 gallons per day
Forage assigned to livestock: Unknown
Horses displaced from Complex by permitted grazing: Unknown
True AML: Unknown
Stocking rate at new AML: Unknown
Horses displaced from Complex by drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

RELATED: Calico Roundup, Day 7.

Currituck Herd Adds New Colt

He was born late last week according to a story by The Coastland Times.

Birth rates and breeding patterns are detarmined by the advocates, not the horses.

The article did not indicate if his mom had been treated with the Montana Solution.

If not, they may stalking her with clipboards and darting rifles as they lecture you about keeping a safe distance and allowing mom and baby to bond.

In the wild horse world, the arrival of a new foal is not an event to appreciate but a problem to be fixed.

The Currituck advocates have adopted a naming convention similar to that of the Pryor Mountains: Foals born in 2020 have names beginning with “A,” names of foals born in 2021 begin with “B,” etc.

File under: Curated horse exhibits.

Mustang Monday

Horses have the day off. At Custer State Park with daejeon0607.

Use of Montana Solution Greater Than Originally Thought?

Immunocontraceptive vaccines such as PZP are currently being used in over 75 areas managed for wild horses and burros by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, according to the Final EA for management actions at the Marietta WBR. Go to page 26 in the pdf.

The Park Service shut off the darting program at Assateague Island in 2016.

The latest roundup and fertility control schedule shows 14 HMAs with fertility control programs.

Where else is it in use and who are the organizers?

Trajectory of Wildh Horse Fertility Control Program 04-11-21

Cedar Mountain Roundup Begins

The incident started yesterday, as planned, with 108 horses captured, none shipped and no deaths.

The gather page indicates a capture goal of 700, consistent with the latest schedule, but does not specify a removal goal.

The schedule puts that number at 400, suggesting that many cherished mares will receive fertility control vaccines and IUDs, followed by return to the HMA.

Devil’s Garden Roundup, Day 6, No Need to Know Edition

The incident started on September 12. Yesterday the report was showing results for September 15 then jumped to September 17. What happened on September 16?

Devils Garden Roundup Day 6 09-17-22

Number of horse shipped: Unknown

Number of deaths: Unknown

Number of horses released: Unknown

Percentage of foals: Unknown

Percentages of males and females: Unknown

Number of unaccounted-for animals: Unknown

FREES Agenda Posted

Early registration has been extended to September 26 according to the flyer.

This year conferees will “war game” a new management tool that shows population trends for various strategies such as roundups, fertility control and no action.

The presentation titled “Can cougars eat their way to AML?” will be of great interest.

Western Horse Watchers believes the answer is No, not when lands designated for wild horse are full of fat calves.

RELATED: FREES Conference Announced.

No News from Western Front

The September edition of Horse Tales has been published but there is no article this month by the real estate agent and PZP darter in the Minden/Gardnerville area.

No update on the cherished Fish Springs mustangs, their glorious darting program or the Pine Nut permittees, whom she and her colleagues adore.

Her listings are on the back page, as usual, some of which may have ties, directly or indirectly, to the permittees.

Might as well take some time off. Will be tough to beat last month’s column anyway, which could have been subtitled “If We Don’t Get Rid of Them the BLM Will.”

Two Days Left to Comment on Alvord Sleight of Hand

The project description says the 15-day comment period started on September 2 but the list in ePlanning shows an end date of September 19.

Alvord Comment Period Almost Over 09-17-22

Writing a new AMP to permanently transfer AUMs to livestock that are currently off limits to everybody, including wildlife and wild horses, probably isn’t valid without an RMP amendment but that’s what the BLM appears to be doing at Alvord.

The email sent to the BLM on September 8 asking if suspended AUMs can be moved to active status without changes to the RMPs still hasn’t been answered.

Calico Roundup, Day 7

The incident began on September 10. Gather stats through September 16:

Target: Horses
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Category: Cruel and costly
Captured: 351, up from 258 on Day 5
Average daily take: 50.1
Capture goal: 1,076
Removal goal: 1,036
Returned: None
Deaths: 8, up from 7 on Day 5
Shipped: 251, no change from Day 5

The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.

Helicopters did not fly on Day 6 as the trap was moved to another area.

One stallion was euthanized on Day 7 due to severe tooth loss.

The death rate decreased slightly to 2.3%.

The capture total includes 140 stallions, 156 mares and 55 foals.

Youngsters represented 15.7% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 47.3% were male and 52.7% were female.

The herd can’t be growing at a rate of 20% per year with a birth rate of 16% per year.

A better estimate would be 11% per year, assuming a death rate of 5% per year.

Body condition scores were not provided.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.

Day 7 ended with 92 unaccounted-for animals.

Mares treated with fertility control may be returned to the area at a later date.

Other statistics:

Horses allowed by plan (AML): 952
Forage assigned to horses: 11,424 AUMs per year
Pre-gather population: 1,593
Forage liberated to date: 4,212 AUMs per year
Water liberated to date: 3,510 gallons per day
Forage assigned to livestock: Unknown
Horses displaced from Complex by permitted grazing: Unknown
True AML: Unknown
Stocking rate at new AML: Unknown
Horses displaced from Complex by drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

RELATED: Calico Roundup, Day 5.

What Are Cherished Wild Horses and Burros?

Think of a man who beats his wife but refers to her in public as his soulmate and loving spouse.

His words don’t match his deeds.

This is standard practice for the advocates.

“We’re protecting our cherished wild horses from removal.”

Nonsense! You’re getting rid of them with PZP, an EPA-registered pesticide, and you admit it!

They think you’re dumber than a bag of hammers and won’t realize that they’re actually protecting the public-lands ranchers, as they separate you from your money to continue their important work.

File under: Charlatans.

For Your Cherished Ants and Roaches 08-30-22

Marietta Decision Announced?

Yesterday’s news release said the final environmental assessment, finding of no significant impact and decision record were posted to the project folder for review, but Western Horse Watchers was unable to find the DR.

A keyword search of the BLM news site for Marietta yielded a notification dated April 15 for the scoping period but no announcement for the comment period on the preliminary EA, which was posted with other supporting documents on July 22.

A letter was apprently sent to interested parties but the public was kept out of the loop.

The Proposed Action features removal of excess burros, removal of all wild horses, sex ratio skewing and population control measures such as PZP and GonaCon, over a ten-year period, according to Section 2.2.2 of the EA, but Western Horse Watchers does not know if it will be implemented in whole, in part or not at all.

The current population is thought to be around 500 burros and 50 horses, as discussed on page 13 in the pdf.

The WBR has an AML of 104 wild burros and zero wild horses.

It is not subject to permitted grazing.

South Steens Roundup Ends

The incident concluded yesterday, according to a statement at the gather page, with 753 horses captured, 732 shipped and 22 dead.

The number of horses processed exceeded the number of horses captured by one.

The death rate was 2.9%.

The capture total included 281 stallions, 326 mares and 146 foals.

Youngsters represented 19.4% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 46.3% were male and 53.7% were female.

The capture goal was 500 but was increased after three days to 750.

Up to 25 mares treated with fertility control may be returned to the HMA at a later date.

Readers Respond to “Romance Versus Reality” Diatribe

The original piece, billed as a special to the Herald Times, ran on August 25.

Western Horse Watchers did not comment at the time as it was clearly an ode to the bureaucrats, ranchers and wild horse charlatans of the Piceance HMA, target of a roundup in July.

Today the paper published three responses, two in opposition, one in support.

The August 25 column was written by Kathleen Kelley, formerly a contract lobbyist and now co-owner of Sullivan Kelley Farms in Meeker, a cow-calf and livestock forage operation according to a 2018 letter to the paper by husband Reed Kelley.

Apparently, Mrs. Kelley is trying to establish herself with the ranching community and supporters thereof, perhaps with political and/or professional aspirations.

Knock yourself out, honey.

One of the letters was written by Scott Beckstead, a proponent of on-range management with the Montana Solution, evident in his reference to “our cherished wild equines.”

For Your Cherished Ants and Roaches 08-30-22

Foal-Free Friday, Fighting Crime on the Virginia Range

The advocates care far more about their standing with the bureaucrats and ranchers than they do about the horses.

They’re trying to convince them that the Montana Solution is a viable alternative to helicopter roundups.

They want to be leaders in the wild horse removal business and the Virginia Range has become their proving ground.

Crime in the Wild Horse World 05-26-22

Breeding has to be stopped and the advocates are on the case, led by four individuals that have administered over 1,000 doses of the pesticide each.

Predators take out the foals that slip through.

By the end of 2023, five years into the program, the herd will be toast.

Virginia Range Foal 05-08-22

Prelude to Foal-Free Friday

Tomorrow’s episode was written early this morning but a story by KUNR Radio, just out, validates remarks about the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses and how it’s using the Virginia Range as a proving ground for the Montana Solution.

Tracy Wilson, Nevada State Director for CAAWH, told the writer her group is trying to prove there is a better way to get rid of wild horses and to show they can do it.

“As you start reducing the amount of available space and forage, then you need to manage the numbers to fit what’s available for the horses,” Wilson said. “So, we want a healthy range, we want a healthy horse population.”

Funny, that’s what the bureaucrats say, as they whittle away at the land designated for wild horses and shift more and more of the resources to the public-lands ranchers.

File under: Charlatans.

No Leads in Shootings of Jakes Valley Horses?

The reward for information has grown from $5,000 to $10,000, according to a BLM news release, thanks to a pledge from the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses.

Don’t be fooled by the gesture. Next to the federal government, nobody, including shooters, is getting rid of more wild horses than they are.