In Mingo County, WV with River Fishing with Frank.

The incident concluded today with 138 horses captured, 32 shipped, 50 released and four dead.

Thirty-three burros were caught and shipped.

There were 52 unaccounted-for horses.

The capture goals were 235 horses and 33 burros.

Fifty-seven mares were treated GonaCon Equine and five were released.

The sidebar indicates that the remainder, representing the unaccounted-for animals, will receive a booster after 30 days, making the HMA another GonaCon crime scene.

The minimum interval is 90 days according to the pesticide label.

The death rate was 2.9%.

Youngsters represented 12.3% of the horses captured.

Of the adults, 43.8% were male and 56.2% were female.

The roundup liberated 1,254 AUMs per year and 1,045 gallons of water per day but these numbers will go down when the treated mares are released.

RELATED: Buffalo Hills Roundup Set for Next Week.

UPDATE: The BLM news release reiterates the 30-day interval.

The Animal Industry Report for the third quarter Board of Agriculture meeting indicates on page three, under Livestock Identification, that

• NDA has entered into a contract with a vendor for reconstruction of BLM fences and construction of new fences pending the completion of the NEPA study, in the Virginia Range Area
• All funding is sourced from the NDA Feral Horse Management Project
• John Axtell has taken over as project manager

Axtell’s predecessor may have been Jim Wheeler, who was hired for a 15-month term on a USDA grant.

Wheeler noted last year that many wild horses have moved into Washoe Lake State Park, in part because the state hasn’t maintained the fencing.

As for the third quarter meeting, it was cancelled.

A fourth quarter meeting has not been scheduled.

RELATED: NDA Installing Fence Around Washoe Lake?

The incident started on November 2.  Results through November 22:

• Scope: Triple B Complex
• Target: Wild horses
• AML: 889
• Pre-gather population: 3,335
• True AML: 4,551
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Sterilize mares with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 2,255
• Removal goal: 2,155
• Captured: 1,679, up from 1,431 on Day 19
• Shipped: 1,459, up from 1,324 on Day 19
• Released: 20, no change from Day 19
• Deaths: 17, up from 15 on Day 19
• Average daily take: 80.0
• Unaccounted-for animals: 183
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The sidebar says 1,462 shipped.

A stallion was put down on Day 21 for a wry nose and a foal died during transportation.

The death rate is 1.0%.

The capture total includes 646 stallions, 652 mares and 381 foals.

Youngsters represented 22.7% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 17% per year.

Of the adults, 49.8% were male and 50.2% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The name of the contractor was not provided.

Three HMAs are affected.

Twelve mares have been treated with GonaCon Equine.  The plan calls for up to 50 to receive the pesticide and be returned to the range with up to 50 stallions.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

Resources liberated to date:

• Forage: 19,908 AUMs per year
• Water: 16,590 gallons per day

RELATED: Triple B Roundup, Day 19.

So says a November 22 article by The Hill.

She’d oversee the Forest Service, among other things, and some of America’s wild horses and burros.

The Secretary of Interior oversees most of those animals via the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service.

RELATED: Trump Nominates Burgum for Department of Interior.

The DNA and DR were copied to the project folder on November 15.

Bait trapping will begin on November 25 according to a USFS news release.

The removal goal is 350 to 400 wild horses, but those numbers could go up throughout the winter depending on forage availability.

The pre-gather population is thought to be around 650.

The announcement did not indicate if operations would be open public observation.

Captured animals will be taken to holding facilities in Burns, OR (probably the Hines corrals) and Alturas, CA (probably Litchfield).

The name of the contractor was not provided.

A link to the daily reports was not given.

The project area covers BLM and Forest Serice lands (HMA | WHT).

RELATED: Murderer’s Creek DNA Out for Public Review.

UPDATE: BLM created a page for gather stats and daily reports.

UPDATE: The BLM news release does not indicate how many horses will be returned to the area when conditions improve.

The incident started on November 15.  Results through November 21:

• Scope: Buffalo Hills HMA
• Target: Wild horses and burros
• AML: 314 horses, no burros
• Pre-gather population: 314 horses, 33 burros
• True AML: 408 horses
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Sterilize mares with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 235 horses, 33 burros
• Removal goal: 32 horses, 33 burros
• Horses captured: 138, up from 116 on Day 5
• Burros captured: 33, no change from Day 5
• Horses shipped: 15, up from zero on Day 5
• Burros shipped: 33, no change from Day 5
• Horses released: None
• Burros released: None
• Horse deaths: 4, up from 3 on Day 5
• Burro deaths: None
• Average daily take: 19.7 horses
• Unaccounted-for animals: 119 horses, zero burros
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

Burros

The capture goal has been reached.

All animals have been shipped.

There were no deaths.

The capture total includes 5 jacks, 21 jennies and 7 foals.

Horses

A death was reported on Day 6.  No details were given.

The death rate is 2.9%.

The capture total includes 53 stallions, 68 mares and 17 foals.  The sidebar says 53, 67 and 18.

Youngsters represented 12.3% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 7% per year.

Of the adults, 43.8% were male and 56.2% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The name of the contractor was not provided.

Up to 100 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine and released back to the range with up to 103 stallions.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

Resources liberated to date (based on horses and burros):

• Forage: 1,854 AUMs per year
• Water: 1,545 gallons per day

RELATED: Buffalo Hills Roundup, Day 5.

A new project was started in ePlanning yesterday but no documents have been posted.

The description says the BLM will remove horses from the HMA in the summer or fall of 2026 and will use population growth suppression to slow the rate of reproduction.

The plan would apply to the portion not zeroed out by the RSGA decision.

In June, the BLM opened a project in ePlanning to implement that decision, although it has been challenged by several advocacy groups.

The incident started on November 2.  Results through November 20:

• Scope: Triple B Complex
• Target: Wild horses
• AML: 889
• Pre-gather population: 3,335
• True AML: 4,551
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Sterilize mares with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 2,255
• Removal goal: 2,155
• Captured: 1,431, up from 1,351 on Day 17
• Shipped: 1,324, up from 1,150 on Day 17
• Released: 20, no change from Day 17
• Deaths: 15, up from 13 on Day 17
• Average daily take: 75.3
• Unaccounted-for animals: 72
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The sidebar says 1,327 shipped.  On Day 18, 75 mares were shipped with no foals and on Day 19 no mares were shipped with 49 foals.

Two mares were dispatched on Day 19 for poor body condition.  The death rate is 1.0%.

The capture total includes 555 stallions, 552 mares and 323 foals.

Youngsters represented 22.6% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 17% per year.

Of the adults, 50.1% were male and 49.9% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The name of the contractor was not provided.

Three HMAs are affected.

Twelve mares have been treated with GonaCon Equine.  The plan calls for up to 50 to receive the pesticide and be returned to the range with up to 50 stallions.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

Resources liberated to date:

• Forage: 16,932 AUMs per year
• Water: 14,110 gallons per day

RELATED: Triple B Roundup, Day 17.

The incident started on November 15.  Results through November 19:

• Scope: Buffalo Hills HMA
• Target: Wild horses and burros
• AML: 314 horses, no burros
• Pre-gather population: 314 horses, 33 burros
• True AML: 408 horses
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Sterilize mares with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 235 horses, 33 burros
• Removal goal: 32 horses, 33 burros
• Horses captured: 116, up from 66 on Day 3
• Burros captured: 33, no change from Day 3
• Horses shipped: None
• Burros shipped: 33, no change from Day 3
• Horses released: None
• Burros released: None
• Horse deaths: 3, up from 1 on Day 3
• Burro deaths: None
• Average daily take: 23.2 horses
• Unaccounted-for animals: 113 horses, zero burros
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

Burros

The capture goal has been reached.

All animals have been shipped.

There were no deaths.

The capture total includes 5 jacks, 21 jennies and 7 foals.

Horses

A death was reported on Day 4 and again on Day 5.  No details were given.

The death rate is 2.6%.

The capture total includes 48 stallions, 55 mares and 13 foals.

Youngsters represented 11.2% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 46.6% were male and 53.4% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The name of the contractor was not provided.

Up to 100 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine and released back to the range with up to 103 stallions.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

Resources liberated to date (based on horses and burros):

• Forage: 1,590 AUMs per year
• Water: 1,325 gallons per day

RELATED: Buffalo Hills Roundup, Day 3.

The Final EA and unsigned FONSI were copied to the project folder on November 15, along with 19 appendices, initiating a 30-day protest period.

Protests are usually limited to those who participated in the planning process but this is not stated in the BLM news release.

No decisions have been issued.

Under Alternative 2, the Proposed Action, the AML would be set at 107 to 120 horses, excluding foals less than one year of age.  The current range is 90 to 120.

Herd size would be limited by removals, fertility control, natural means or a combination thereof.

ZonaStat-H would remain the preferred method.

Mares that don’t respond would be treated with GonaCon-Equine or other approved product or be removed from the HMA.

These and other objectives would be documented in a new HMAP, discussed in Section 2.3.1 of the EA.

The Billings RMP would be amended to improve genetic diversity but not at the expense of rangeland health.  This may include the introduction of horses from other areas, as explained in Section 1.5.1.

The upper end of the AML corresponds to the maximum number of horses that the range can support without deterioration, according to Appendix C.  The lower end represents the population that will grow to the upper limit in four to five years.

The new AML of 107 to 120 implies a 2.4% annual growth rate over five years, suggesting the mares will be heavily “sedated” with pesticides if they aren’t already.

RELATED: Draft EA Released for Pryor Mountain RMP Update.

The incident started on November 2.  Results through November 18:

• Scope: Triple B Complex
• Target: Wild horses
• AML: 889
• Pre-gather population: 3,335
• True AML: 4,551
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Sterilize mares with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 2,255
• Removal goal: 2,155
• Captured: 1,351, up from 1,086 on Day 15
• Shipped: 1,150, up from 904 on Day 15
• Released: 20, no change from Day 15
• Deaths: 13, up from 11 on Day 15
• Average daily take: 79.5
• Unaccounted-for animals: 168
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The sidebar says 1,153 shipped.

Two stallions were dispatched on Day 16.  The death rate is 1.0%.

The capture total includes 530 stallions, 519 mares and 302 foals.

Youngsters represented 22.4% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 17% per year.

Of the adults, 50.5% were male and 49.5% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The name of the contractor was not provided.

Three HMAs are affected.

Twelve mares have been treated with GonaCon Equine.  The plan calls for up to 50 to receive the pesticide and be returned to the range with up to 50 stallions.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

Resources liberated to date:

• Forage: 15,972 AUMs per year
• Water: 13,310 gallons per day

RELATED: Triple B Roundup, Day 15.

The incident started on November 15.  Results through November 17:

• Scope: Buffalo Hills HMA
• Target: Wild horses and burros
• AML: 314 horses, no burros
• Pre-gather population: 314 horses, 33 burros
• True AML: 408 horses
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Sterilize mares with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 235 horses, 33 burros
• Removal goal: 32 horses, 33 burros
• Horses captured: 66, up from zero on Day 1
• Burros captured: 33, no change from Day 1
• Horses shipped: None
• Burros shipped: 33, no change from Day 1
• Horses released: None
• Burros released: None
• Horse deaths: 1, up from zero on Day 1
• Burro deaths: None
• Average daily take: 22.0 horses
• Unaccounted-for animals: 65 horses, zero burros
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

Burros

The capture goal has been reached.

All animals have been shipped.

There were no deaths.

The capture total includes 5 jacks, 21 jennies and 7 foals.

Horses

A death was reported on Day 3, presumably a horse.  No details were given.

The death rate is 1.5%.

The capture total includes 29 stallions, 28 mares and 9 foals.

Youngsters represented 13.6% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 50.9% were male and 49.1% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The name of the contractor was not provided.

Up to 100 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine and released back to the range with up to 103 stallions.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

Resources liberated to date (based on horses and burros):

• Forage: 990 AUMs per year
• Water: 825 gallons per day

RELATED: Buffalo Hills Roundup Begins.

The HMA lies within the Buffalo Hills Allotment, overlapping 27.6% of the parcel according to Table 5 of the Final EA for pest control and resource enforcement in the Smoke Creek Complex.

The 314 horses allowed by plan require 3,768 AUMs per year.

The allotment offers 4,114 active AUMs on 440,982 public acres.

If the resource is evenly distributed across the allotment, livestock inside the HMA, the lawful home of wild horses, receive an estimated .276 × 4,114 = 1,135 AUMs per year, enough to support 94 wild horses.

Therefore, the True AML would be 314 + 94 = 408, to be achieved by confining the ranchers to their base properties in a year-round off season.

The HMA covers 125,207 public acres so the stocking rate at the new AML would be 408 ÷ 125,207 × 1,000 = 3.3 wild horses per thousand public acres.

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

RELATED: Buffalo Hills Wild Horses Better Off Than Permittees.

In the eastern Sierra with Jack Farrell Mammoth.

The incident started on November 2.  Results through November 16:

• Scope: Triple B Complex
• Target: Wild horses
• AML: 889
• Pre-gather population: 3,335
• True AML: 4,551
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Sterilize mares with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 2,255
• Removal goal: 2,155
• Captured: 1,086, up from 937 on Day 13
• Shipped: 904, no change from Day 13
• Released: 20, no change from Day 13
• Deaths: 11, up from 10 on Day 13
• Average daily take: 72.4
• Unaccounted-for animals: 151
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The sidebar says 907 shipped.

No activity was reported on Day 14.

A stallion died of a fractured neck on Day 15.  The death rate is 1.0%.

The capture total includes 424 stallions, 418 mares and 244 foals.

Youngsters represented 22.5% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 17% per year.

Of the adults, 50.4% were male and 49.6% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The name of the contractor was not provided.

Three HMAs are affected.

Twelve mares were treated with GonaCon Equine and released on Day 9.  The number of doses is not known.

In 2017 the EPA set the interval between treatments at 90 days but the BLM wants it changed to 7 days.  A search for an updated registration yielded no new results.

The plan calls for up to 50 mares to receive the pesticide and be returned to the range with up to 50 stallions.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

Resources liberated to date:

• Forage: 12,792 AUMs per year
• Water: 10,660 gallons per day

RELATED: Triple B Roundup, Day 13.

The incident started yesterday as scheduled, with 33 burros captured, 33 shipped, none released and no deaths.

RELATED: Buffalo Hills Roundup Set for Next Week.

On November 8, the Moab Field Office announced it would spray approximately 13,000 acres of cheatgrass near the Utah-Colorado border in the desert adjacent to I-70.

BLM staff will wait two growing seasons before applying native seed to the treated area.

The project was billed as fuels reduction.

No map was given.

A link to the NEPA analysis was not provided.

Why would you remove one type of vegetation and replace it with another if you’re trying to prevent wildfires?

The National Data Viewer shows the area is covered with grazing allotments.

A nonprofit specializing in the restoration of historic structures on public lands is converting the former headquarters of the Crooked River National Grasslands into a facility that places Big Summit wild horses into private care.

Renovations should be complete next year, according to a report by The Bulletin of Bend, OR, clearing the way for a roundup.

RELATED: Big Summit Roundup Delayed as Forest Service Builds New Corrals.

The incident started on November 2.  Results through November 14:

• Scope: Triple B Complex
• Target: Wild horses
• AML: 889
• Pre-gather population: 3,335
• True AML: 4,551
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Sterilize mares with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 2,255
• Removal goal: 2,155
• Captured: 937, up from 883 on Day 11
• Shipped: 904, up from 659 on Day 11
• Released: 20, up from 18 on Day 11
• Deaths: 10, no change from Day 11
• Average daily take: 72.1
• Unaccounted-for animals: 3
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The sidebar says 907 shipped.  If that figure is used, there would be no unaccounted-for animals, suggesting that operations have moved to another area.

No horses were taken on Day 13.  Two stallions were released.

The death rate is 1.1%.

The capture total includes 358 stallions, 366 mares and 213 foals.

Youngsters represented 22.7% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 17% per year.

Of the adults, 49.4% were male and 50.6% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The name of the contractor was not provided.

Three HMAs are affected.

Up to 50 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine and returned to the range with up to 50 stallions.

The number of doses and the interval between treatments were not specified, leaving open the possibility that the Complex becomes the next GonaCon crime scene.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

Resources liberated to date:

• Forage: 11,004 AUMs per year
• Water: 9,170 gallons per day

RELATED: Triple B Roundup, Day 11.