Bighorns perish in Bitterroots

WILDLIFE – Pneumonia is causing a significant bighorn sheep die-off that’s under way in southwest Montana.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists say at least 30 bighorns had died south of Darby since pneumonia was first detected in the East Fork herd on Nov. 22.

Mortalities documented to date amount to about 10 percent of the East Fork herd, and state biologist expect more sheep to die before the disease runs its course.

There are no known vaccines to prevent pneumonia in wild sheep.

Associated Press

Trophy elk head stolen from hunter

HUNTING – Missoula County Sheriff deputies are investigating the reported theft of a bull elk head.

The sheriff’s office says a Missoula man was hunting in the Big Flat area last month when he shot a seven-by-eight-point bull elk.

He cut off the elk’s head, cut the body in two pieces and put the meat on two horses. The horses were somehow spooked and took off. The hunter told authorities he left the head while he went after his horses.

The horses were found the next day, but when the hunter returned, the head was gone.

State Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said the head could be worth $1,000 to $8,000.

Associated Press

Big Horn River trout stranded

FISHING – For the second time in less than three months, the flow of Montana’s Bighorn River’s has fluctuated wildly due to a Bureau of Reclamation error, stranding and killing some adult and juvenile fish.

The Bighorn River is considered a multimillion-dollar resource because of its attraction as one of the state’s top trout fishing destinations. The stream also provides irrigation water for agricultural lands downstream from Yellowtail Dam.

State fisheries managers say dam operators in Montana and Wyoming have not been coordinating their efforts to manage power production without hurting the prized fishery.

Staff and wire reports

Whooping crane deaths increase

ENDANGERED – A federal official says the world’s only naturally migrating whooping cranes died at about twice their normal rate last year and will likely see an overall drop in their numbers.

Jeff Stehn, who oversees whooping crane conservation efforts for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says the 21 percent of a flock of whooping cranes that migrates between northern Canada and the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas each year died off last year. Typically about 10 percent of the flock dies off.

Stehn says including new births, this year’s flock is expected to drop by about 20 birds from last year’s 270 when counted in the fall.

Whooping cranes numbered just 15 in 1941 but now number 539 and is considered a success story by conservationists.

Associated Press