The incident started on November 29.  Results through December 23:

• Scope: Murderer’s Creek HMA, WHT
• Target: Wild horses
• AML: 140
• Pre-gather population: 650
• True AML: TBD
• Type: Emergency
• Method: Bait
• Capture goal: 350 – 400
• Removal goal: 350 – 400
• Captured: 183, up from 166 on Day 21
• Shipped: 168, up from 129 on Day 21
• Released: None
• Deaths: 4, no change from Day 21
• Average daily take: 7.3
• Unaccounted-for animals: 11
• 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 death rate is 2.2%.

The capture total includes 63 stallions, 79 mares and 41 foals.

Youngsters represented 22.4% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 17% per year.  The Rule of 72 says the herd size will double in 4.2 years.

Of the adults, 44.4% were male and 55.6% 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.

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

No decisions have made regarding the long-term disposition of horses, which means they could be treated or altered in off range holding, including the stallions.

The status of livestock grazing in the burned area is not known.

RELATED: Murderer’s Creek Roundup, Day 21.

The allotment, located about 40 miles east of Florence, AZ, offers 496 active AUMs on 5,690 public acres according to the Allotment Master Report.

The forage assigned to horses is zero.

How many wild horses could live there?

Using the principle of forage interchangeability, the True AML would be 496 ÷ 12 = 41, the number of horses the land could support if it was managed principally for them as specified in the original statute.

The stocking rate would be 41 ÷ (5,690 ÷ 1,000) = 7.2 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Why is this important?

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 reinforce the narrative with their darting programs.

If the allotment was an HMA, the AML would be 6 and 35 horses would be consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.

BLM allotments in Arizona carry livestock equivalent to 53,662 wild horses on 10,090,546 public acres, or 5.3 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Wild horses can be placed on public lands not identified for their use by acquiring base properties associated with grazing allotments and flipping the preference to horses, as American Prairie did for bison in Montana.

RELATED: The Allotments Tell the Story: They’re Lying, All of Them.

Purgatory Basin Ranch covers 12,502 deeded acres in southeastern Colorado, with grazing preference on the 8,127-acre Higbee Allotment in the Comanche National Grasslands, according to the listing.

There is also a 640-acre state lease and 320-acre private lease.

The 2024 AOIs suggest the allotment offers 1,301 AUMs per year, equivalent to 13.3 wild horses per thousand acres.

The bureaucrats tell us that public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres.

The state charges $16.25 per AUM, according to the 2024 invoice, twelve times more than the Forest Service.

The land ratio is low.  You must purchase 12,502 deeded acres to access 8,127 public acres.

There are no HMAs or WHTs in the area.

Wild horses can be placed on public lands not identified for their use by acquiring base properties associated therewith and flipping the preference to horses.

At the southern edge of the Virginia Range with Art.

Consider the Eighteen Mile Allotment, located within the Little Colorado HMA, which offers 18,994 active AUMs on 228,494 public acres according to the Allotment Master Report.

A simple way to compare the management of the HMA with the management of the allotment is with these relationships:

Equivalent horses = Active AUMs ÷ 12

Equivalent stocking rate = Active AUMs ÷ 12 ÷ (Public acres ÷ 1,000)

The allotment, a subset of the HMA, supports livestock equivalent to 1,583 wild horses.

Equivalent horses = 18,994 ÷ 12 = 1,583

The HMA, consisting of 525,421 public acres according to the 2024 population dataset, can only sustain 100 wild horses.

The allotment carries livestock equivalent to 6.9 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Equivalent stocking rate = 18,994 ÷ 12 ÷ (228,494 ÷ 1,000) = 6.9

The HMA can only sustain 0.2 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Stocking rate = 100 ÷ (525,421 ÷ 1,000) = 0.2

Land that can only support 0.2 wild horses per thousand public acres supports livestock equivalent to 6.9 wild horses per thousand public acres.

You cannot have more than 100 wild horses in the entire HMA but you can have livestock equivalent to 1,583 wild horses in an area corresponding to 43% of it.

How is this possible?

They’re lying.

They 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 bolster the narrative with their HMAPs and darting programs.

They want the ranchers to win.

The allotment accounts for 1,583 wild horses in off-range holding.

The roundups and stockpiling of wild animals in government feedlots are symptoms of resource mismanagement, not inadequate carrying capacity.

The problem is man made.

RELATED: Thriving Ecological Imbalance at Little Colorado HMA.

The method of capture is bait according to a report by the San Bernadino Sun.

Animals deemed unadoptable will sent to sanctuaries in Texas and Arizona.

The author did not indicate if any of the advocacy groups had stepped forward with a plan to manage the herd with their favorite pesticide.

RELATED: San Bernadino County Removing Reche Canyon Burros.

The incident will begin on or about January 6 according to the news release.

A helicopter will push the horses into a trap and operations will be open to public observation, conditions permitting.

The capture and removal goals are 196 and 144.

The pre-gather population is thought to be 245.

Up to 26 mares will be treated with PZP and be returned to the HMA with up to 26 stallions.

Animals identified for removal will be taken to the off-range corrals in Winnemucca.

A link to the gather stats and daily reports was not provided.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

RELATED: Fish Creek Decision Issued.

The incident started on November 29.  Results through December 19:

• Scope: Murderer’s Creek HMA, WHT
• Target: Wild horses
• AML: 140
• Pre-gather population: 650
• True AML: TBD
• Type: Emergency
• Method: Bait
• Capture goal: 350 – 400
• Removal goal: 350 – 400
• Captured: 166, up from 144 on Day 17
• Shipped: 129, no change from Day 17
• Released: None
• Deaths: 4, no change from Day 17
• Average daily take: 7.9
• Unaccounted-for animals: 33
• 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

No report was given for Day 19.

The death rate is 2.4%.

The capture total includes 61 stallions, 69 mares and 36 foals.

Youngsters represented 21.7% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 16% per year.  The Rule of 72 says the herd size will double in 4.5 years.

Of the adults, 46.9% were male and 53.1% 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.

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

No decisions have made regarding the long-term disposition of horses, which means they could be treated or altered in off range holding, including the stallions.

The status of livestock grazing in the burned area is not known.

RELATED: Murderer’s Creek Roundup, Day 17.

The DNA asserts that the 2015 analysis fully covers the Proposed Action, which is to capture and remove wild horses in and around the HMA.

Mares returned to the area would be treated with fertility control.

The document is not searchable in Edge.  You can’t select lines of text or copy everything into a text editor (CTRL+A > CTRL+C > CTRL+V).

But you can open it in Word and search from there.

There were no matches for “gona” but several for “zona.”

A roundup appears on the latest schedule with a start date of January 6, not mentioned in today’s news release.

The pesticide of choice has been changed from GonaCon to PZP.

The DNA was copied to the project folder with the DR and cover letter.

RELATED: Fish Creek DNA Out for Review.

The State of Colorado will pay $100,000 to USDA Wildlife Services to train four two-person teams to administer fertility-control pesticides alongside volunteers with BLM’s partner organizations in the state’s four HMAs according to today’s news release.

Given that they chose USDA over the Science and Conservation Center, the pesticide of choice is likely GonaCon Equine, not Zonastat-H.

RELATED: Colorado Wild Horse Working Group Meets Next Week.

Facilities should be located in Colorado, Kansas, Nevada or Wyoming and have a capacity of 150 to 3,500 wild horses according to today’s news release.

The solicitation, amendments and attachments can be found at RFP 140L0125R0003.

Proposals are due January 21.

RELATED: BLM Seeks More ORPs?

The method of capture was not identified in this report by KTLA News but as of today 68 animals have been taken into custody.

The next step may be a trip to Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue in Texas.

The reporter said they’re federally protected but if that was true management actions would be preceded by a NEPA review and carried out by the BLM or Forest Service.

RELATED: New State Law Threatens Reche Canyon Burros?

The incident started on November 29.  Results through December 15:

• Scope: Murderer’s Creek HMA, WHT
• Target: Wild horses
• AML: 140
• Pre-gather population: 650
• True AML: TBD
• Type: Emergency
• Method: Bait
• Capture goal: 350 – 400
• Removal goal: 350 – 400
• Captured: 144, up from 116 on Day 13
• Shipped: 129, up from 102 on Day 13
• Released: None
• Deaths: 4, up from 2 on Day 13
• Average daily take: 8.5
• Unaccounted-for animals: 11
• 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

Results for Days 15, 16 and 17 were posted today.  No report was given for Day 14.

A stallion was put down on Day 15 for poor body condition, followed by a mare on Day 16 for a fractured leg, lifting the death rate to 2.8%.

The capture total includes 55 stallions, 60 mares and 29 foals.

Youngsters represented 20.1% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 15% per year.  The Rule of 72 says the herd size will double in 4.8 years.

Of the adults, 47.8% were male and 52.2% 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.

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

No decisions have made regarding the long-term disposition of horses, which means they could be treated or altered in off range holding, including the stallions.

The status of livestock grazing in the burned area is not known.

RELATED: Murderer’s Creek Roundup, Day 13.

The project area covers five allotments in southeastern Oregon and two in northern Nevada, as discussed previously.

The forage assigned to wild horses is zero.

How many wild horses could live there?

The Allotment Master Report provides management status, acreage and active AUMs.

The allotments support livestock equivalent to 3,085 wild horses on 534,407 public acres.

Approximately 97% of the land is in the Maintain category.

The stocking rate at the True AML would be 5.8 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Why is this important?

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 bolster the narrative with their darting programs.

If the allotments were a Complex, the AML would be 534 and 2,551 horses would be consigned to off-range holding because of permitted grazing.

BLM allotments in Oregon carry livestock equivalent to 87,934 wild horses on 13,130,302 public acres, or 6.7 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Wild horses can be placed on public lands not identified for their use by acquiring base properties associated with grazing allotments and flipping the preference to horses, as American Prairie did for bison in Montana.

RELATED: The Allotments Tell the Story: They’re Lying, All of Them.

On the Salt River with markstorto.

The advocates rely on predators to take out any foals that slip through their darting programs.

Another case of wild horse overpopulation?

Nope.  This one involves our stewards of the public lands.

A 2018 assessment found five allotments in southeastern Oregon and two in northern Nevada that did not meet standards for rangeland health, according to Sections 1.1 and 1.2 of the Final Scoping Report.

The map on page M-3 of Appendix M shows the arrangement.

The November 27 news release said the EIS considers a range of actions to meet those standards.

Curiously, Alternative D reflects proposals submitted by the permittees—the persons responsible for current conditions.

The Scoping Report said there were no HMAs in the project area.

The EIS was copied to the project folder with other supporting documents.

Comments will be accepted through January 13.

The base property associated with the Campbell Allotment, one of the five in Oregon, was listed for sale earlier this year.

Same URL.  Same bottom-line totals.

But it’s dated December 12 instead of October 31.

RELATED: BLM Updates Roundup Schedule.

Nobody inflicts more pain and suffering than those who say wild horses have a right to live free of pain and suffering.

Imagine being hit with a pesticide-laced dart at 40 yards.

A powder charge ignites upon impact, driving the payload into the animal.

The injury may last for weeks.

The advocates say it’s harmless.  They peddle the practice as humane management but it’s nothing of the sort.

They are phonies, leaders of the blind, and don’t deserve a penny of your support.

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Spending Wisely Edition.

The incident started on November 29.  Results through December 11:

• Scope: Murderer’s Creek HMA, WHT
• Target: Wild horses
• AML: 140
• Pre-gather population: 650
• True AML: TBD
• Type: Emergency
• Method: Bait
• Capture goal: 350 – 400
• Removal goal: 350 – 400
• Captured: 116, up from 105 on Day 11
• Shipped: 102, up from 83 on Day 11
• Released: None
• Deaths: 2, no change from Day 11
• Average daily take: 8.9
• Unaccounted-for animals: 12
• 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.

No horses were caught on Day 12.

The death rate is 1.7%.

The capture total includes 46 stallions, 48 mares and 22 foals.

Youngsters represented 19.0% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 14% per year.

Of the adults, 48.9% were male and 51.1% 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.

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

No decisions have made regarding the long-term disposition of horses, which means they could be treated or altered in off range holding, including the stallions.

The status of livestock grazing in the burned area is not known.

RELATED: Murderer’s Creek Roundup, Day 11.

A summary of written comments is given at 5:45.

In-person comments regarding the Washoe Lake fencing project begin at 7:31.

Online comments start at 54:01.

RELATED: Washoe Lake Fence to Wipe Out Virginia Range Horses?