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Desert bighorns are native to arid regions of the West. They are slightly smaller than the high-country Rocky Mountain bighorns and they are well-adapted to desert canyon habitats.

In 2010 and 2011, Colorado Parks and Wildlife fitted thirty desert bighorns, from an area south of Slickrock, with GPS radio collars and transplanted the animals to the Dolores River canyon area. All but one of the transplanted sheep survived, and several of the ewes gave birth to lambs, which have also survived.

As biologists tracked the sheep transplanted in 2010, they were pleasantly surprised to learn that the newcomers had found a band of desert sheep that were already living in the rugged canyon country.  

"What we've learned is very encouraging," said Brad Banulis, terrestrial biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife for the Montrose area. "There are more resident sheep in that area than we realized and the transplanted sheep have joined up with the existing herd." 

Joining with the established herd helped the transplanted sheep become quickly acquainted with the new terrain and potentially increased their chance of survival.

Biologists estimate that the Dolores River canyon herd now numbers about 60 sheep, including the transplants. The introduction of new sheep has increased the overall genetic diversity of the herd, which is an important factor for long-term survival of the sheep.

"We'll be gathering a lot more data that will enable us to learn even more about desert bighorns," Banulis said.

Tracking movement of the collared animals helps biologists learn more about the type and expanse of terrain used by the Desert bighorn sheep and will help provide the information biologists need to encourage expansion of the herd. The GPS collars last for about three years, so biologists will continue to track some of the animals until late in 2014.

Visit the Bighorn Sheep page for additional information on the two species of bighorns found in Colorado.

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Colorado is fortunate to have the largest population of Rocky Mountain elk in the world with an estimated post-hunt elk population of 282,000 in 2010. At 430,000 animals, our mule deer herd is also one of the largest. Managing these populations for long-term sustainability and hunter opportunity is serious business that occupies Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) biologists throughout the winter.

At the end of 2011, biologists and contractors geared up to spend almost 1,000 hours aloft this winter counting big game animals that have herded up in lower elevations. Post-hunt counts help assess the effect of the previous hunting seasons.

Determining male/female and cow/calf or doe/fawn ratios are critical to accurately calibrating the population model that helps CPW develop license allocations.

Elk classification can occur from mid-December to mid-February and is sometimes combined with deer classification during the same flights. Population estimates are a cornerstone for managing Colorado’s world-class big game herds.