Almost exactly a year ago, I had to spend a day using snowshoes to get around Burnt Timber; there was a lot of snow on the Range and it was difficult to get around.
Demure and Kindra, January 2011
This year is different, though. The region has seen warmer, dryer weather this winter. Last weekend, I went up into Burnt Timber and had no trouble at all getting around to where the horses were. I first saw Mescalero’s harem.
Mescalero
Following is a press release from the BLM’s Billings Field Office regarding the proposed 2012 gather here.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Billings Field Office today released the Preliminary Environmental Assessment (EA) for a proposed 2012 wild horse gather within the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range (PMWHR). A 30-day public comment period will begin on Dec. 8 through Jan. 6, 2012. The Preliminary EA analyzes the effects of a proposed non-helicopter gather and removal of excess horses within the PMWHR.
The Preliminary EA identifies a selection of alternatives, including Proposed Action and No Action alternatives. The Proposed Action recommends a combination of bait trapping, water trapping, and some herding. Since bait trapping can occur year-round, the gather would be anticipated to take place at any point during the 2012 calendar year.
The gather is designed to manage the appropriate number of wild horses so that rangelands and horses can be healthy and productive for years to come. The current wild horse population is approximately 150 horses with 17 foals, exceeding the established Appropriate Management Level (AML) of 90-120 horses, excluding the current year foals.
The PMWHR is located in the Pryor Mountains south of Billings, along the Montana-Wyoming border and encompasses approximately 38,000 acres of BLM, U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service managed land.
Sorry for my delay writing here. Since I last wrote, the Billings Field Office released their Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range Non-Helicopter Gather Scoping Report November 2011, which can be read by clicking here. This document summarizes comments received during the scoping period for the proposed gather for the Pryor Mountain Wild Horses along with the BLM’s responses to these comments.
I’ve been able to go onto the wild horse range a number of times since I last posted. In the past month or so, we have had a cycle of relatively warm days followed by colder and snowy weather (it snowed here again last night). Last weekend was pretty nice, and I spent a day on Sykes Ridge. I drove up as far as possible and then started hiking once the road was too snowy to drive any further. On one of the ridges I hiked onto, I found Morning Star’s harem.
Morning Star
Felina
Joviana
It’s been a while since I posted, so I thought I’d put up some that I think are worth knowing about right now.
Hickok and Jesse James continue to spend their time at Crooked Creek Bay with Seneca and Hightail. From what I’ve seen of this, it looks like Hickok thinks he is the harem stallion while Seneca and Hightail are doing whatever they want with the two boys following them. It will be interesting to see where this goes.
(l-r) Hickok, Seneca, Hightail, Jesse James
