OUTDOOR NOTES: Survey shows drop in bighorn sheep

Bighorn sheep populations in western North Dakota are down from last year, the state Game and Fish Department says.

According to Brett Wiedmann, big game biologist for Game and Fish in Dickinson, N.D., the July-August population survey showed a minimum of 287 bighorn sheep, down 4 percent from 2013. The survey tallied 82 rams, 153 ewes and 52 lambs.

Because of a disease outbreak in the northern Badlands, Game and Fish biologists have verified more than 20 bighorn sheep deaths since this summer.

Wiedmann said the survey is a tale of two segments of the state’s population.

“The four herds in the northern Badlands not affected by the die-off increased 28 percent from last year, with the lamb count increasing 46 percent,” he said. “However, the eight herds impacted by disease declined 25 percent, with the lamb count declining by 66 percent.”

Although population levels were down markedly in portions of the northern Badlands, Wiedmann said the survey documented a slight increase in the southern Badlands. The survey does not include about 40 bighorn sheep that live in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Dan Grove, wildlife veterinarian for Game and Fish, said only time will tell how severe the die-off will be.

“Mortalities so far have been significant but not yet catastrophic,” Grove said. “However, the outbreak is ongoing, and we have detected a virulent strain of bacteria from biological samples collected from dead bighorns. Consequently, impacts will be more apparent when females and lambs are recounted next March, but the full extent of the outbreak likely will not be realized until the 2015 survey is completed.”

- N.D. Game and Fish Department

DNR names UND grad as chief pilot

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Enforcement Division has named a UND graduate as the agency’s chief pilot.

Tom Buker, who has a bachelor’s degree in commercial aviation from UND, also is a conservation officer and had been the DNR’s acting chief pilot since October 2013.

He moved into the permanent position Wednesday.

Based in New Ulm, Minn., Buker joined the DNR in 2004 and will oversee four full-time and two part-time pilots based from airports in Bemidji, Brainerd, Grand Rapids and New Ulm. The DNR owns and operates six fixed-wing aircraft and three helicopters.

Buker has 17 years of flying experience. Before joining the DNR, he was a a patrol officer, special weapons and tactics team member, deputy coroner and K-9 search and rescue officer with the Douglas County (Nev.) Sheriff’s Department from 1989 to 1996. He also worked as a patrol officer and investigator with the Mahnomen County (Minn.) Sheriff’s Department and served as a military police officer in the U.S. Army.

The DNR’s aviation program started in 1947 with a plane based in Baudette, Minn., which covered the whole state. A floatplane was added in 1948 and based in Warroad, Minn. Before 1947, the state borrowed or rented aircraft for specific flight operations.

Herald staff report

Did you know?

•   Young hunters ages 10 to 15 can participate in a special deer season that runs from Thursday to Oct. 19 in 27 permit areas of northwest and southeast Minnesota, including the 601 Twin Cities metro permit area. Deer permit areas open to the hunt are 101, 105, 111, 114, 201, 203, 208, 209, 256, 257, 260, 263, 264, 267, 268, 338, 339, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348, 349 and 601. Youths who buy a license and meet the firearm safety requirements can take one deer of either sex during the youth season. An adult mentor must accompany youth hunters. Info: Page 34 of the DNR Hunting and Trapping Regulations Handbook, mndnr.gov/regulations/hunting.
•   Motorists should be especially watchful for deer along the roads this time of year as juvenile animals disperse from their home ranges. October through early December is the peak period for deer-vehicle accidents.
•   The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is taking orders for its 2015 North Dakota Outdoors calendar. To order, send $3 per calendar plus $1 postage, to Calendar, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, 100 N. Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck, ND 58501-5095. Each order should include a three-line mailing address.
•   The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is taking entries for a photo contest to pick the cover for its 2015 Private Land Open To Sportsmen guide. The only real contest guideline is that photos must include a PLOTS sign, front-facing or silhouette. Contest deadline is April 30. Info: gf.nd.gov.