Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Selfless - A Wild Sheep Conservation Story

Planning for this project started in July 2017. Two years later and five trips to Nevada, it is finally ready to go. Link is below

This is a story about average people doing extraordinary work on behalf of wild things, in this case, wild sheep. They give selflessly of their time and talent, not knowing who might benefit from their work. To them, it matters not what people benefit, for they know the wild sheep and other wildlife will benefit.

The older guys in this film are some of the first generation to start putting water on the landscape with man-made guzzlers. They didn't have a blueprint to follow, rather used hard work, trial and error, and determination to figure it out. As a result, Nevada went from less than 3,000 desert bighorns in 1989 to over 12,000 in 2019. A remarkable accomplishment in just thirty years.

Thanks to these volunteers who let us impose on them and their work. Few of the people we interviewed have ever drawn a sheep tag. Most have said it doesn't really matter. They continue to do this work as part of their passion for conservation. These are remarkable volunteers who have found a way to help wildlife with their time and talent. This same story exists in so many places for so many different species, where similar-minded volunteers do what they can, with what they have, to make a better place for the wild things they love.

Also, a big thanks to Wild Sheep Foundation, Mystery Ranch, and the Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn. Without all of them, the story would not have been told.

And if you are a volunteer in the conservation arena, no matter the species or effort, whether its your time, your talent, or your treasure, a big "Thank You."

Awesome stuff Randy! Thanks for putting this content out there and double thanks for helping to put and keep wild sheep on the mountain!

Randy,

Thank you for putting this together. We (Desert Wildlife Unlimited and SCI) have been doing this for years in the mountains along the Colorado river where it has been lined with concrete. We need more of these stories out there to illustrate what so many hunters do to give back not just sheep but all the wildlife that benefits from these drinkers.

Hopefully, we'll have another story for you regarding Pronghorn.

Thanks again.

I can see the end result. But, I can't quite figure out how this Guzzler works. Can you expound?

Great work