President’s Message

With the 2022 hunting season under full swing and success pictures being submitted, I can’t help but appreciate how far Sheep hunting in Utah has come and how much improved the trophy quality and hunt expectations are now versus just 10-15 years ago.  In a State where a 160” Desert ram was top-end, a new potential State record ram was harvested this fall that is pushing the 180” mark.  A 162” California ram was harvested last year and in 2019 a 194” Rocky was harvested on the Range Creek unit.

I credit the improved genetics and trophy quality to the transplant work that has taken place, and continues to take place, in our great State.  This year we successfully established a Desert Bighorn sheep nursery herd from Nevada’s Muddy Mountains, one of the best trophy producing units the silver state has to offer.  We also captured and released, as a supplemental transplant, Rockies from Arizona’s Eagle Creek unit to Antelope Island.  This was the first time Rockies have been moved out of the State of Arizona and did I mention the Eagle Creek herd consistently produces 180” plus rams, not to mention the 2.5-year-old Rocky rams on Antelope Island are 30”x15”.

In the last few years, Utah has been the recipient of California Bighorns from both Washington and Oregon, Rockies from both Montana (Rocky Boy Indian Reservation) and Arizona, and has twice received Desert Bighorns from Nevada.  The “good old days” of sheep hunting in Utah are happening right now, and with disease free transplant stock of Rockies, Deserts and California Bighorns now available in-State, we anticipate being able to continue to supplement existing populations going forward.

I would like to thank all of our conservation partners in Utah and throughout the West, who have helped facilitate the aforementioned transplant work!  Utah is now officially on the map as a trophy State for wild sheep and the future looks very exciting!

Respectfully,

Travis Jenson
President, Utah WSF