Shackleford Herd Shrinks by Seven in 2023

At the end of 2023 there were 117 horses on Shackleford Banks, according to an undated report by NPS, down from 124 at the end of 2022.

Five foals were born in 2023, for a birth rate of four percent.

Twelve horses died.

The herd consisted of 62% females and 38% males at the end of December.

The low birth rate and unusual sex ratio are likely due to the safe, proven and reversible fertility control program.

Nine mares who had recent foals were treated in 2023.

The report did not indicate the pesticide of choice, but it is probably PZP.

Shackleford Banks is at the southern end of the Cape Lookout National Seashore.

RELATED: Shackleford Herd Grew Slightly in 2022.

CAAWH Spends $3.6 Million on Fish Springs Land Grab

Records at the Douglas County assessor’s office indicate the sale consisted of three transactions covering 21 APNs.

The project is dedicated to wild horse and burro habitat conservation according to a March 2 announcement distributed by Lucky Three Ranch.

Half of the parcels are designated for single family residences.

1. Document 2023-995176, Grant, Bargain, Sale Deed, $963,000.

2. Document 2023-995160, Grant, Bargain, Sale Deed, $2,067,100.

3. Document 2023-995179, Grant, Bargain, Sale Deed, $552,000.

  • 1321-00-001-021, 640 acres, agricultural qualified
  • Subtotal: 640 acres, average price $862.50 per acre

Grand total: $3,582,100 for 3,269.44 acres, average price $1,095.63 per acre.

This was the justification for the rebranding.

CAAWH Rebranding 02-29-24

In another example of conservation just a few miles north in Storey County, volunteers with the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses have been pummeling the Virginia Range mares with pesticide-laced darts since 2019.

RELATED: CAAWH Seeks More Land in Pine Nut Mountains?

Pesticide Pushers 07-17-23

What Do the Darting Programs Have in Common?

Besides the hypocrisy, lies and collusion, no accountability to the public.

For example, the reports issued by the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses for nonmotorized removal on the Virginia Range do not discuss the

  • Long-term population goal
  • Number of viable mares
  • Size of the breeding population
  • Loss of genetic diversity
  • Changes in death rate and sex ratio
  • Unlawful use of pesticides

The population of over 3,000 wild horses has produced only three foals this year.

That’s great news to the bureaucrats and ranchers, whom CAAWH serves, but it’s frightening to the rest of us.

How close is the herd to the tipping point, where it implodes because most of the mares are sterile?

You have a right to know but they’re not talking.

RELATED: Virginia Range Darting Update for February 2024.

Pesticides R Us Better Way 11-07-23

McCullough Roundup, Day 41

The incident started on January 22.  Results through March 2:

  • Scope: McCullough Peaks HMA
  • Target: Horses
  • Method: Bait
  • Type: Planned
  • Goals: Gather 80, remove 35
  • Captured: 52, up from 48 on Day 37
  • Shipped: 14, up from 9 on Day 37
  • Released: 37, up from 35 on Day 37
  • Deaths: 1, no change from Day 37
  • Average daily take: 1.3
  • Unaccounted-for animals: None

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The Day 41 report said two more horses were removed, bringing the total to 15.

To check this value, subtract the horses released from the horses captured:

Removed = Captured – Released = 52 – 37 = 15

The roundup continues to have a high churn rate.  The capture-to-remove ratio is 3.5:1, compared to a target of 2.3:1.

Some animals may have been caught more than once.

The death rate is 1.9%.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The HMA is subject to permitted grazing.

  • Forage liberated to date: 180 AUMs per year
  • Water liberated to date: 150 gallons per day

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

An estimated 535 wild horses have been displaced from their lawful home by permitted grazing, making the True AML almost five times higher than the current AML.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

RELATED: McCullough Roundup, Day 37.

McCullough Peaks HMA with Allotments 07-14-23

Virginia Range Darting Update for February 2024

The Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, a leader in nonmotorized removal, reported today that 161 mares received 161 doses of PZP during the month, 22 given as a primer and 139 as a booster.

Over the life of the program, which began in 2019, the advocates have pumped 8,770 doses of the pesticide into 1,998 mares.

Three foals have been born year-to-date.  One died of unspecified causes.

The current population is thought to be 3,444 with 338 horses listed as missing, compared to 3,465 with 342 horses listed as missing in January.

The population was 3,471 with 336 listed as missing in December.

The goal for March: “Continue to maximize booster treatments to mares across the Virginia Range before spring breeding season to prevent pregnancies, and continuing to allow for humane population decrease.”

Protecting Them From Removal 12-03-23

Not discussed in the report:

  • Long-term population goal
  • Number of viable mares
  • Size of breeding population
  • Loss of genetic diversity
  • Changes in death rate and sex ratio
  • Unlawful use of pesticides

PZP tricks the immune system into attacking the ovaries, resulting in sterility after five years of treatment.

The report will be submitted to the Nevada Department of Agriculture.

RELATED: Virginia Range Darting Update for January 2024.

Adjectives for Pests 12-01-23

Coalition Asks Wildlife Board to Support Anti-Horse Agenda

The Douglas County Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife took no action at its February 27 meeting regarding a letter prepared by the Coalition for Healthy Nevada Lands, Wildlife and Free-Roaming Horses, according to a story dated March 1 by The Record-Courier of Minden, NV.

A copy of the letter, seeking a reduction of wild horses on public lands. was not included in the report.

Advocates attending the meeting came not as spokesmen for the horses but as defenders of humane management.

They noted that the Coalition pushes for the removal of wild horses to the point they would no longer be genetically viable, yet that’s exactly what they’ve done with their ruinous darting program.

Although there are around 80 wild horses in the Fish Springs herd, Western Horse Watchers suspects the breeding population is now in the single digits.

The sex ratio is likely skewed in favor of females.

The number of viable mares is unknown.

The Pine Nut advocates receive material support from the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, leader of the blind and recognized expert in nonmotorized removal.

Advocates Bawling About Removal of McCullough Filly

They say she’s too young to be separated from her mom, according to a story dated March 2 by Cowboy State Daily.

Are they upset because the government is getting rid of the horses and not them?

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

The article said the youngster was taken on February 22 but the report for that day shows no foals captured or removed.

Most folks in the horse world would not refer to a six-month-old female as a mare.

RELATED: Advocates Bawling About Loss of McCullough Filly?

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

Public lands in the western U.S. can only support one wild horse per thousand acres according to the bureaucrats, ranchers and advocates (27,000 animals on 27 million acres).

A corollary is that public lands in the western U.S. can only produce 12 AUMs per year per thousand acres.

But in case after case, the latest being the base properties offered by Harry Ranch, the data show otherwise.

The allotments tied to those parcels produce enough forage to sustain from five to seven times as many wild horses.

This is the dirty little secret of rangeland management.

The roundups, darting programs and outplacement services are not necessary.

They were contrived to protect the ranchers.

Consider the undated infographic for the WHB program in FY23, especially the list of new partners at the bottom of page one.

They are defeatists, pesticide pushers and ranching sympathizers.

How do you oppose the juggernaut?

Use their own data against them.

That means having a basic understanding of the National Data Viewer, the Allotment Master Report and some simple arithmetic.

The other option is to throw in with the Love Triangle and kiss the herds goodbye.

RELATED: The Three Tenets of Rangeland Management.

Working Together for a Horse-Free Future 12-21-22

Voices of Defeat

This result appeared today in a Google search for “wild mustangs.”

Voices of Defeat 03-01-24

Are you surprised that it was posted to a site controlled by the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses?

The underlying assumption is that wild horses and burros need to be removed from their lawful homes (in favor of privately owned livestock).

This is the sound of defeat, a defining characteristic of wild horse advocacy.

Western Horse Watchers would rather see the WHB Act restored to its original form, the ranchers confined to their base properties and the advocates banned from areas identified for wild horses and burros.

RELATED: Capitulation, Surrender, Defeat.

Foal-Free Friday, Scribes and Pharisees Edition

They love to be greeted with respect in the marketplace and to be called “Teacher.”

They love the best places at festivals and the reserved seats at conferences and seminars.

They do everything for show.

On the outside they appear to be good but on the inside they’re full of hypocrisy and lies.

They boast about their conservation and rescue efforts but when you’re not looking, they’re poisoning the mares with ovary-killing pesticides.

They’ll do anything to win the approval of the bureaucrats and ranchers, including the sterilization of entire herds, such as those at the Salt River and Virginia Range.

Protect Wild Horses from Advocates 08-29-21

They want the ranchers to win.

They are the wild horse advocates, the old guard, leaders of the blind.

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Rallying Around Error Edition.

Stop the Helicopters But Not the Poisons!

The Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses may have shed its skin, like the serpent it is, but its message is the same: Replace motorized removal with nonmotorized removal.

Totally self-serving.

Tomorrow, on National Horse Protection Day, these charlatans want you to tell your elected representatives to support the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act, according to their news release, which would ban the use of helicopters and expand their pest control business.

The right thing to do is kick these buffoons to the curb and tell your representatives that you want the WHB Act restored to its original form so areas identified for wild horses and burros will be managed principally for them, not privately owned cattle and sheep.

RELATED: CAAWH Rebranding.

Calling it a Vaccine 05-01-23

McCullough Roundup, Day 37

The incident started on January 22.  Results through February 27:

  • Scope: McCullough Peaks HMA
  • Target: Horses
  • Method: Bait
  • Type: Planned
  • Goals: Gather 80, remove 35
  • Captured: 48, up from 37 on Day 34
  • Shipped: 9, no change from Day 34
  • Released: 35, up from 27 on Day 34
  • Deaths: 1, no change from Day 34
  • Average daily take: 1.3
  • Unaccounted-for animals: 3

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The Day 37 report said three more horses were removed, bringing the total to 13.

To check this value, subtract the horses released from the horses captured:

Removed = Captured – Released = 48 – 35 = 13

The roundup continues to have a high churn rate.  The capture-to-remove ratio is 3.7:1, compared to a target of 2.3:1.

Some animals may have been caught more than once.

The death rate is 2.1%.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The HMA is subject to permitted grazing.

  • Forage liberated to date: 156 AUMs per year
  • Water liberated to date: 130 gallons per day

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

An estimated 535 wild horses have been displaced from their lawful home by permitted grazing, making the True AML almost five times higher than the current AML.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

RELATED: McCullough Roundup, Day 34.

McCullough Peaks HMA with Allotments 07-14-23

Harry Ranch Selling Oregon Base Properties

Originally part of the Lucky 7 Ranch, two other ranches in the same area have been split off and are now on the market.

  • Ten Mile – 2,512 deeded acres, $7 million
  • Vance – 2,662 deeded acres, $9 million

That puts the grazing preference on the Sherburn and Fifteen Mile Community allotments in play.

The Operator Information and Allotment Information reports at RAS associate two grazing authorizations and four allotments with Harry Ranch LLC in Oregon.

3600203 – FIFTEEN MILE COMMUNITY, SHERBURN
3603721 – TRAILING PERMIT, CAMPBELL

Campbell is tied to Lucky 7, discussed yesterday.

Vance grazes Fifteen Mile and Ten Mile uses Sherburn.

The Allotment Master Report puts Fifteen Mile in the Improve category, with 20,960 active AUMs on 309,316 public acres.

That works out to 67.8 AUMs per year per thousand public acres, equivalent to 5.6 wild horses per thousand public acres.

BLM staff 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).

Vance shares the allotment with four other permittees and receives 26.7% of the total forage.

Sherburn is in the Maintain category with 3,771 active AUMs on 46,983 public acres, equivalent to 6.7 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Ten Mile receives all of the authorized forage.

The trailing permit covers movement of livestock from one area to another.

As an alternative to cattle grazing, the new owners could ask the BLM for a change in livestock type and season of use so horses could roam the land, as American Prairie did for bison in Montana.

RELATED: McDermitt Base Property Available for $20 Million.

Harry Ranch Oregon Allotments 02-28-24

Yellow Creek Grazing Permit Up for Renewal

The allotment covers about a third of the Piceance HMA in western Colorado, where the advocates are poisoning the mares with Gonacon Equine.

The Allotment Master Report puts it in the Improve category, with 2,157 active AUMs on 63,191 public acres.

The Draft EA identifies three alternatives for consideration.

The management plan authorizes 85 wild horses in this part of the HMA according to Section 5.1.2, equivalent to 1,020 AUMs per year, while livestock receive twice as much.

The project folder contains no other documents.

Comments will be accepted through February 29.

RELATED: Piceance Wild Horses Get Short End of Stick.

Piceance Allotments 06-14-22

Lake Pleasant Roundup, Day 22

The incident started on February 5.  Results through February 26:

  • Scope: Lake Pleasant HMA
  • Target: Burros
  • Type: Planned
  • Method: Bait trap
  • Goals: Gather 400, remove 400
  • Captured: 144, up from 101 on Day 16
  • Shipped: 93, no change from Day 16
  • Released: None
  • Deaths: 3, down from 4 on Day 16
  • Average daily take: 6.5
  • Unaccounted-for animals: 48

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The two deaths reported on Day 16 have been zeroed out.

A jack was dispatched on Day 22 for a broken leg.

The death rate is 2.1%.

The capture total includes 66 jacks, 61 jennies and 17 foals.

Youngsters represented 11.8% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 52.0% were male and 48.0% were female.

The HA and HMA are the same size.  The area is subject to permitted grazing.

  • Forage liberated to date: 864 AUMs per year
  • Water liberated to date: 720 gallons per day

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

The roundup will remove animals that are damaging private property and creating a public safety hazard, purposes for which PZP was not authorized.

The incident supports three tenets of rangeland management.

RELATED: Lake Pleasant Roundup, Day 16.

Lake Pleasant HMA with Allotments 02-06-23