Domestic Sheep???

[ARCHER11]

Hey guys! What has everyones experience been with domestic sheep in their hunting areas? Do sheep have much of an affect on deer and elk? Will the presence of a herd of domestic sheep push the wild animals out? Im planning a backcountry hunt in the UInta Wilderness this year and dont want to hike 10 miles in only to be dissapointed by sheep! Does the DWR have information on where the sheep are allowed or that sort of thing? Just trying to get started on this years homework and any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys!

[m gardner]

Where I hunt I check with the range officer with the USFS office that manages the National Forest there. They can tell you what the grazing plan is and when animals will be in different places.

[highcountryarchery]

From what i've seen down here is that the deer and elk know the sheep are there but just treat em like any other wildlife. I've never seen sheep push wildlife out of an area is my opinion but I hunt in areas with mostly cows

[ABert]

Speaking only of my experiences in CO, the sheep are not around during rifle season and the graze WAY up high in the creek basins. Cattle are grazed lower and I have run into them during the hunting season.

Just a bit of history, the battles between the cattle ranchers and the sheep herders all came down to the fact that sheep eat vegetation down to the dirt. This would sometimes kill the wild grasses at worst or take a long time to recover at best.

[skysthelimit]

I would also like to know opinions on this as I have run into a number of sheep in the areas I have hunted in the past. I did watch a big buck get pushed out of his area and into another drainage when the sheep grazed past him. I am not sure it was 100% the sheep but that is what I assumed? I could have been wrong and something different could have pushed him because he had been living there all summer until the sheep came in.

[m gardner]

Nothing likes sheep except sheepherders and coyotes.

[stillhunterman]

Nothing likes sheep except sheepherders and coyotes.

Oh, I dunno about that. I enjoy a good lamb chop every now and again!

[ARCHER11]

Thanks for all the replies! Ill be archery hunting around 10500-11000 feet so I dont think cows should be an issue its only the sheep im worried about but ill be sure and check with the range officer. Thanks again guys!

[79Ford]

IMO dont waste your time hunting where the sheep are. We had a prime hunting spot about 8 years ago that held a lot of deer and elk. A few years ago they started summering sheep in the area and we noticed a great decline in the number of mature bucks and bulls. Lots of does and fawns, cows and calves still, but for some reason the big guys just dont like to hang around with the mountain maggots. Just my personal experience though.

[ARCHER11]

Thanks 79ford. I would imagine that those big bucks and bulls want to be as isolated as possible and it wouldnt make much sense for them to hang out with the sheep. Thanks for the input!