The incident started August 11, according to the gather page, with 19 horses captured, including nine stallions, seven mares and three foals.  No deaths were reported.

RELATED: Conger Emergency Roundup Starts Next Week.

The incident began on August 2.  Gather stats through August 11:

• Horses captured: 814, up from 456 on Day 8
• Average take: 136 horses per day
• Capture goal: 2,200
• Removal goal: 2,200
• Returned: 0
• Deaths: 4, no change from Day 8
• Shipped: 514, up from 343 on Day 8

The death rate dropped to 0.5%.

Foals accounted for 17.2% of the horses gathered.  Of the adults, 45.5% were male and 54.5% were female.

Body condition scores were not reported.

Day 10 ended with 296 unaccounted-for horses.  The contractor is probably holding them on site.

Data quality has been good.

Other statistics:

• AML: 789 (four HMAs involved)
• Forage assigned to horses: 9,468 AUMs per year
• Pre-gather population: 6,032 plus foals
• Forage liberated to date: 9,768 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 8,140 gallons per day
• Forage assigned to livestock: 72,946 AUMs per year (estimated)
• Horses displaced from HMAs by livestock: 6,079 (12% of off-range holding)
• True AML: 6,868

RELATED: Antelope Roundup Day 8.

UPDATE: The average daily take should be 81.4, not 136.

The incident began on July 26.  Gather stats through August 11:

• Horses captured: 431, up from 390 on Day 15
• Average take: 25 horses per day
• Capture goal: 450
• Removal goal: 450
• Returned: 0
• Deaths: 9, up from 8 on Day 15
• Shipped: 337, up from 296 on Day 15

Another death occurred on Day 17 due to pre-existing conditions but no details were given.  The death rate is 2.1%.  The summary at the gather page shows eight horses lost but the daily reports yield nine.

Body condition scores were not reported.

Foals accounted for 19.0% of the horses gathered.  Of the adults, 42.4% were male and 57.6% were female.  The gap between stallions and mares continues to widen.

Day 17 ended with 85 unaccounted-for horses.  The operation will likely conclude in another day or two.

Other statistics:

• AML: 0
• Forage assigned to horses: 0
• Pre-gather population: 450
• Forage liberated to date: 5,172 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 4,310 gallons per day
• Forage assigned to livestock: Unknown
• Horses displaced from HA by livestock: Unknown

RELATED: West Douglas Roundup Day 15.

A news release dated August 10 said the incident will begin on July 7.

An email to the BLM rep was answered thus: Roundup delayed until late August.

The HMA, known as Beatys Butte, lies within the Beaty Butte allotment.

RELATED: Beatys Butte Roundup Starts This Week?

The incident began on August 2.  Gather stats through August 9:

• Horses captured: 456, up from 361 on Day 6
• Average take: 76 horses per day
• Capture goal: 2,200
• Removal goal: 2,200
• Returned: 0
• Deaths: 4, up from 2 on Day 6
• Shipped: 343, up from 211 on Day 6

Two horses were put down on Day 8 due to pre-existing conditions, bringing the death rate to 0.9%.

Foals accounted for 18.6% of the horses gathered.  Of the adults, 45.3% were male and 54.7% were female.

Body condition scores were not provided.

Day 8 ended with 109 unaccounted-for horses.  The contractor is probably holding them on site.

Other statistics:

• AML: 789 (four HMAs involved)
• Forage assigned to horses: 9,468 AUMs per year
• Pre-gather population: 6,032 plus foals
• Forage liberated to date: 5,472 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 4,560 gallons per day
• Forage assigned to livestock: 72,946 AUMs per year (estimated)
• Horses displaced from HMAs by livestock: 6,079 (12% of off-range holding)
• True AML: 6,868

RELATED: Antelope Roundup Day 6.

UPDATE: The average daily take should be 57, not 76.

The area is in an elevated risk zone, according to a map at NV Energy’s PSOM page.

It includes BLM’s off-range corrals, destination of wild horses and burros captured in northern Nevada roundups.

The facility backs to the Pyramid Highway on the west and Ironwood Road on the south.

RELATED: Virginia Range Now Subject to Public Safety Power Shutoffs.

The HMA covers 85,407 acres in eastern Oregon, including 71,893 BLM-managed acres, 10,898 privately owned acres and 2,615 acres of Bureau of Recreation land, according to the 2017 Final EA for resource enforcement actions therein.

The 80 horses allowed by plan require 960 AUMs per year.

The stocking rate allowed by plan is 0.9 wild horses per thousand acres.

Table 3-4 in the EA supplies information for three allotments inside the HMA.  The total allotment acreage is slightly less than the HMA acreage, so most, but not all, of the HMA is subject to permitted grazing.

The map provided with the project documents shows the arrangement.

The allotments, including current status, were discussed in this post from August 1.

The Texaco Basin permittee would have to place 2,350 ÷ 7 = 336 cow/calf pairs on the allotment to graze off 2,350 AUMs in seven months.

The stocking rate at Texaco Basin would be 336 ÷ 14,558 × 1,000 = 23.1 cow/calf pairs per thousand acres.

The total number of cow/calf pairs inside the HMA would be 1,280, with an overall stocking rate of 15.5 cow/calf pairs per thousand acres.

Western Horse Watchers usually converts AUMs to horses and cow/calf pairs, even if the HMA is designated for burros and/or the allotments are permitted for sheep.  The resource requirements of wild horses and cow/calf pairs are said to be equivalent.

The stocking rates and forage allocations are compared in the following charts.

The HMA is managed primarily for livestock, contrary to §1332(c) of the statute, with the horses receiving just 10% of the authorized forage, neglecting wildlife.

The forage assigned to livestock would support an additional 705 horses, for a True AML of 785.

The pre-gather population of 450 is well within this range, so there are no excess horses, no overpopulation and no justification for a fertility control program.  As usual, the advocates are wrong.

The 705 wild horses cheated out of a spot on their home range represent 1.4% of the 50,000 horses in off-range holding.

RELATED: Stinkingwater Roundup Starts in Two Weeks.

The incident began on July 26.  Gather stats through August 9:

• Horses captured: 390, up from 344 on Day 13
• Average take: 26 horses per day
• Capture goal: 450
• Removal goal: 450
• Returned: 0
• Deaths: 8, no change from Day 13
• Shipped: 296, up from 250 on Day 13

The death rate is 2.1%.  The summary at the gather page shows seven deaths but the daily reports show eight.

Body condition scores were not reported.

Foals accounted for 18.5% of the horses gathered.  Of the adults, 43.1% were male and 56.9% were female.

Day 15 ended with 86 unaccounted-for horses.

Other statistics:

• AML: 0
• Forage assigned to horses: 0
• Pre-gather population: 450
• Forage liberated to date: 4,680 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 3,900 gallons per day
• Forage assigned to livestock: Unknown
• Horses displaced from HA by livestock: Unknown

RELATED: West Douglas Roundup Day 13.

BLM released 113 animals, according to this report by Fox 13 News of Salt Lake City.

RELATED: Onaqui Aftermath.

Horses have the day off.  Somewhere in southern Nevada with Earth and Medicine.

The incident began on August 2.  Gather stats through August 7:

• Horses captured: 361, up from 190 on Day 3
• Average take: 60 horses per day
• Capture goal: 2,200
• Removal goal: 2,200
• Returned: 0
• Deaths: 2, no change from Day 3
• Shipped: 211, up from 85 on Day 3

Helicopters were grounded on Day 5 due to smoke.

The death rate is 0.6%.

Foals accounted for 18.0% of the horses gathered.  Of the adults, 47.6% were male and 52.4% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

Day 6 ended with 148 unaccounted-for horses.

Other statistics:

• AML: 789 (four HMAs involved)
• Forage assigned to horses: 9,468 AUMs per year
• Pre-gather population: 6,032 plus foals
• Forage liberated to date: 4,332 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 3,610 gallons per day
• Forage assigned to livestock: 72,946 AUMs per year (estimated)
• Horses displaced from HMAs by livestock: 6,079 (12% of off-range holding)
• True AML: 6,868

RELATED: Antelope Roundup Day 3.

The incident began on July 26.  Gather stats through August 7:

• Horses captured: 344, up from 303 on Day 11
• Average take: 26 horses per day
• Capture goal: 450
• Removal goal: 450
• Returned: 0
• Deaths: 8, up from 5 on Day 11
• Shipped: 250, up from 218 on Day 11

A stud and foal were put down on Day 10 due to pre-existing conditions.  Another stud was put down on Day 11, boosting the death rate to 2.3%.  The summary at the gather page shows seven deaths but the daily reports show eight.

Body condition scores were not reported.

Foals accounted for 18.9% of the horses gathered.  Of the adults, 43.7% were male and 56.3% were female.

Day 13 ended with 86 unaccounted-for horses.

Other statistics:

• AML: 0
• Forage assigned to horses: 0
• Pre-gather population: 450
• Forage liberated to date: 4,128 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 3,440 gallons per day
• Forage assigned to livestock: Unknown
• Horses displaced from HA by livestock: Unknown

RELATED: West Douglas Roundup Day 11.

According to 43 CFR 4710.1, a federal regulation, management activities affecting wild horses and burros shall be in accordance with approved land use plans.

This is government writing its own rules, perhaps at the behest of special interests.

It’s not necessarily a bad idea.  You don’t want to place 1,600 wild horses in an area that can only support 1,200.

Unfortunately, there is no requirement that the plans assign most of the resources to wild horses, which explains what you see today in many wild horse areas.

Now that the link to the statute is broken, you’ll find 200 wild horses in an area that can support 1,200, accompanied by hundreds or thousands of privately owned livestock.

The advocates, unfazed by the practice, worry instead about the best way to get rid of ‘excess’ animals, horse #201 and so on.

RELATED: What’s Missing from America’s Public Lands?