The role of hunters in conservation, restoration, and management of North American wild sheep

Abstract

Wild sheep in North America were abundant and widely distributed prior to European exploration and settlement. By the early twentieth century unregulated hunting, forage competition with domestic livestock, introduced diseases, and human encroachment had dramatically reduced bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) numbers and distribution in the western US, southern Canada, and mainland and Baja Peninsula Mexico. The restoration of bighorn sheep has been a remarkable conservation success, as a result of efforts by wildlife and land management agencies, conservation organizations, private landowners and other stakeholders. These efforts have been largely underwritten by pro-hunting conservation organizations.