McGee Mountain Roundup, Day 3

The incident started on March 18. Results through March 20:

Scope: McGee Mountain HMA
Target: Burros
Type: Planned
Method: Bait
Goals: Gather 22, remove 22
Captured: 11, up from 3 on Day 1
Shipped: None
Released: None
Deaths: None
Average daily take: 3.7
Unaccounted-for animals: 11

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

Youngsters represented 9.1% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 20% were male and 80% were female.

The HMA is smaller than the HA. The area is subject to permitted grazing.

Forage liberated to date: 66 AUMs per year
Water liberated to date: 55 gallons per day

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

If Indian Creek Was a Wild Horse Area

It would have an AML of 710 and a stocking rate of three wild horses per thousand public acres.

The allotment offers 8,518 active AUMs on 234,680 public acres adjacent to Canyonlands National Park, according to the Allotment Master Report.

The bureaucrats and ranchers tell us that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres (27,000 animals on 27 million acres).

The advocates indicate their agreement through their darting programs.

If it was an HMA, the AML would be around 235 and 475 wild horses would be consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.

The Nature Conservancy receives all of the authorized forage in the allotment, on which it runs cattle, probably in connection with Dugout Ranch.

Price of Hay Defies Gravity

The feed store collected $34 per bale today for alfalfa-grass mix, 20 bales minimum, no change from December.

The single-bale price was $35.

Three years ago the price was $19.

A horse would need around five bales per month, putting the cost at $170 per AUM.

At that rate, you’ll burn through your $1,000 adoption incentive in six months.

Ranchers pay $1.35 per AUM on public lands.

McGee Mountain Roundup in Progress

The incident started on March 18 as scheduled, with three burros captured, none shipped, none released and no deaths.

Two Men Admit Guilt in Deaths of SoCal Wild Burros

The incident occurred north of Yermo, CA in November 2021 and does not appear to be related to the loss of the Clark Mountain burros, investigation of which continues.

Three animals were killed according to a DOJ news release.

The pleas include one felony count of possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle and one misdemeanor count of maliciously causing the death of a burro on public lands.

They face up to ten years in federal prison for the firearm charges and up to one year in federal prison for the burro deaths.

Sentencing was set for July 8.

RTF: Surgical Sterilization Bad, Chemical Sterilization Good

The advocates are united in their love for on-range management, which is the same as humane management, which is a codeword for nonmotorized removal.

Thus, on-range management means off the range.

Their attitude toward wild horses differs little from that of the ranchers, evident in a news release dated March 18 by Return to Normal (Before WHB Act).

No surprises, though. They signed onto the “Path Forward,” a 2019 plan for ranching superiority in the lawful homes of wild horses, sometimes referred to as achieving and maintaining AMLs.

Mass Sterilization OK if Done with PZP

The Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses would never let the BLM get away with it, according to a news flash dated March 14, but they’ll do it as often as possible.

Getting Rid of Wild Horses Is Our Job 10-14-23

The idea was floated in a FY25 budget proposal, supposedly, but a link to the document was not provided.

Sterilization undermines genetic viability but also disrupts natural behaviors essential for the survival of wild herds.

Curiously, the nonprofit, a leader in nonmotorized removal, runs a sterilization program on the Virginia Range, now in its fifth year, while the Salt River Wild Horse Darting Group, a partner organization, does the same in the Tonto National Forest.

PZP tricks the immune system into attacking the ovaries.

It’s a pesticide, not a vaccine.

It’s not reversible. The sperm-blocking theory doesn’t correlate with the observed facts, such as the flat-lining of the herd on Assateague Island.

Damage begins with the first injection, leading to sterility in five years. Such animals are said to be “self-boosting.”

CAAWH said it “will deploy all necessary resources to prevent any mass permanent sterilization plan from becoming law” (but will actively solicit such arrangements through cooperative agreements).

Pesticide Pushers 07-17-23

Mustang Monday

Horses have the day off. At the Black Mountain HMA with Renee Plans the Day.

If Mineral Range Was a Wild Horse Area

It would have an AML of 985 and a stocking rate of 7.9 wild horses per thousand public acres.

The allotment offers 11,830 active AUMs on 124,924 public acres in western Utah, according to the Allotment Master Report.

The bureaucrats and ranchers claim that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres (27,000 animals on 27 million acres).

The advocates give their concurrence through their darting programs.

If it was an HMA, the AML would be around 125 and 860 wild horses would be consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.

Maybe Today Should Be National Forage Day

Today might be a good opportunity to share some green beer with friends and tell them about resource mismanagement in areas identified for wild horses.

For example, on the Beaty Butte Allotment, which coincides roughly with the Beaty Butte HMA in southern Oregon, ranchers receive 26,166 AUMs on 506,985 public acres.

The horses receive 3,000 AUMs.

The AML is 250, compared to a True AML of 2,430, and 2,180 wild horses have been consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.

The advocates tell you the answer is to end wild horse reproduction, not animal agriculture, because they’re in cahoots with the bureaucrats and ranchers.

Spring Grass 03-17-24

Western Horse Watchers Microcast #17

Silence is golden.

Adjectives for Pests 12-01-23

If Big Springs Was a Wild Horse Area

It would have an AML of 1,463 and a stocking rate of 7.8 wild horses per thousand public acres.

The allotment offers 17,556 active AUMs on 187,743 public acres in southwestern Idaho, according to the Allotment Master Report.

The bureaucrats and ranchers tell us that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres (27,000 animals on 27 million acres).

The advocates indicate their agreement through their darting programs.

If it was an HMA, the AML would be around 190 and 1,273 wild horses would be consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.

CAAWH Promotes Unlawful Use of Pesticides

On March 8 their representative agreed there is a population problem in Nevada and told the Board of Wildlife Commissioners the answer is PZP.

Unfortunately, darting wild horses that are overpopulated, interfere with animal agriculture or pose safety hazards to motorists is not authorized by the EPA and constitutes unlawful use of the pesticide.

Read the label for yourself.

RELATED: Test Your Knowledge of RUPs.

If Salmon River Was a Wild Horse Area

It would have an AML of 2,275 and a stocking rate of 8.2 wild horses per thousand public acres.

The allotment offers 27,304 active AUMs on 278,157 public acres north of Wells, NV, according to the Allotment Master Report.

The bureaucrats and ranchers claim that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres (27,000 animals on 27 million acres).

The advocates give their assent through their darting programs.

If it was an HMA, the AML would be around 275 and 2,000 wild horses would be consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.

Foal-Free Friday, Confessing Your Loyalties Edition

A delegate from the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses tells the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners that her group concurs with the overpopulation narrative and has a better way to get the numbers down to an acceptable level.

Let Us Fix Your Wild Horse Problem 02-18-23

Nobody talks about wild horse removal more than the advocates.

McGee Mountain Roundup Starts Next Week

The incident will begin on or about March 18 according to today’s announcement.

The capture and removal goals are identical, 22 each.

There are no plans to treat any of the jennies with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range.

Operations will not be open to public observation.

Captured animals will be taken to the off-range corrals at Palomino Valley.

Gather stats and daily reports will be posted to this page.

The HMA has an AML of 41 and is subject to permitted grazing.

The HA was trimmed on the north and south sides to liberate two neighboring allotments from the wild horse and burro program.

If Jordan Meadows Was a Wild Horse Area

It would have an AML of 977 and a stocking rate of 9.2 wild horses per thousand public acres.

The allotment offers 11,720 active AUMs on 106,495 public acres near McDermitt, NV, according to the Allotment Master Report.

This brings more distress to the bureaucrats and ranchers, who claim that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres (27,000 animals on 27 million acres).

The advocates give their assent through their darting programs.

If it was an HMA, the AML would be around 100, and 877 wild horses would be consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.

How Many Wild Burros Can the McGee Mountain HMA Support?

The tiny HMA, on the east side of Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, is due for a roundup starting on March 15.

It covers 41,160 public acres and the 41 burros allowed by plan receive 246 AUMs per year.

The current population is unknown.

The stocking rate allowed by plan is one wild burro per thousand public acres, equivalent to 0.5 wild horses per thousand public acres.

The National Data Viewer shows habitat loss and neighboring allotments. Click on image to open in new tab.

The HMA overlaps the western side of Alder Creek, which offers 5,913 active AUMs on 123,363 public acres, according to the Allotment Master Report.

That works out to 47.9 AUMs per year per thousand public acres, enough to support eight wild burros per thousand public acres.

The number of burros displaced from their lawful home by permitted grazing is 8 × 41,160 ÷ 1,000 = 329, assuming that forage is evenly distributed across the allotment.

The True AML, the number of burros the HMA could support if it was managed principally for them as specified in the original statute, is 41 + 329 = 370.

The stocking rate at the new AML would be 370 ÷ 41,160 × 1,000 = 9 wild burros per thousand public acres.

This brings more embarrassment to federal land managers, who claim the HMA can only support one wild burro per thousand public acres.

Such statements are made in defense of ranching interests, not for the health of wild burros or the land they roam.

Where Are the Residential Lots in the Fish Springs Land Trust?

They’re the 40-acre parcels in the Pinenut Allotment.

Maybe someday they’ll become off-grid vacation homes for CAAWH staff or its donors.

Highlights of Public Comments at Nevada Wildlife Commission

On March 8 the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners heard testimony regarding a letter from the Coalition for Healthy Nevada Lands, Wildlife and Free-Roaming Horses seeking the removal of wild horses from public lands in Nevada.

It was item 8 on their agenda.

As if bringing a pinch of incense to the altar, a delegate from the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses stated at 2:57:20 “We recognize that there is a population problem in Nevada, but wild horse roundups is not the solution.”

In an effort to promote her pesticide business, she mentions fertility control six times in six minutes.

If she believes that livestock are the primary reason for substandard conditions on Nevada’s public lands, why is she so eager to get rid of the horses?

Craig Downer suggested that Reserve Design was the better way but was cut off for exceeding his time limit.

Another person commented on the WHB budget, PZP and public-lands ranching, claiming at 3:13:50 that permitted grazing is a right.

How do you know it’s not a right? The government can take it away. That’s why it’s called permitted grazing.

Comments starting at 3:22:00 pertained to the original statute, resource management and principal use.

Additional remarks can be found in an article dated March 12 by Nevada Current.

Video cued up to the mark. Just hit Go.