All told, the three adult mountain lions – which either swam to the island or accessed its shores via ice-bridge during recent winters – appear to have killed some 70 of the vulnerable bighorns before
“It’s likely there are more bighorns today than before North Dakota’s statehood in 1889.” But will the all-time record count mean more hunting licenses?
Hunting could begin in about five or six years, when the first rams will reach about 8 years old. Bighorn tags are highly coveted – a record 16,935 people applied for the six North Dakota
The ram, with a gross score of 170-2/8 on the Boone and Crockett scale, was a trophy caliber sheep.
This year, a record of nearly 17,000 people applied for licenses, with six licenses allocated for upcoming season.
“It is a success story what the agency has done here, We’ve brought back a population to where we can now have a season again. That’s pretty remarkable.”
It continues to kill off entire herds statewide.
Worker housing weighed against impact on bighorns near Vail.
Game and Fish Department biologists counted 283 bighorns in a population survey that began last fall and was completed in March to see how many lambs survived the winter. The total number is up 7%
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