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  1. #1
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    Grand Teton Bighorn Sheep

    I saw this article in the Salt Lake Tribune today. The article basically says that backcountry skiers are bad for the Teton area bighorn sheep.

    http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/enterta...ghorn.html.csp

    Thoughts? Such as do we no longer ski the Grand, Middle, Moran, etc, because the sheep might die? Or is this just one person's opinion / research and we continue skiing until more research is done?

    Anyone ever seen sheep above the Stettner?
    Last edited by itsnowjoke; 07-13-2014 at 10:51 AM.

  2. #2
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    "As skiers cut runs and eat burgers at the Couloir Restaurant, the sheep eke out a living by grazing meager sprigs of grass and even pine needles"

    Retarded, anthropomorphic statements like that pretty much sum up the credibility of this article. Bighorn closures are just govt's way of imposing control on people having fun who aren't hurting anyone. Kind of the same idea of trying to make people fill out permits for camping in the wilderness (which should be completely voluntary). Motorcycles and snow machines are one thing, but trying to demonize someone skinning up a mountain is just a psychopathic brain child of some bitter, power tripping bureaucrat.

  3. #3
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    Looks to me like:

    - the prime areas the sheep were using were closed to skiers
    - GPS tracking shows skiers are in other areas
    - they draw the conclusion that rather than that the sheep didn't prefer these other areas that the skiers are keeping the sheep out

    Seems like poor reasoning.

    I bet the skiers that volunteered to help out feel like rubes now that their help is being used to try to close terrain to them.

  4. #4
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    There is as much over-reaction to this as there was about the 'landslide', people.
    Forum Cross Pollinator, gratuitously strident

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    You are all just confused as to how the pseudoscience that is wildlife biology works.

    1) Pick an animal you think people will care about when you lie to them. Bugs are a bad choice, choose something cute.

    2) Pick an area you think would make good living quarters for this animal. Ignore the fact that they have had millions of years to get there and have chose not to.

    3) Pick a human caused reason why this animal isn't there. Logic and reason should play no part in this.

    4) Sue the gov't to fuck over someone else.

    5) Force the gov't to pay you to study this critter until you have milked every drop out of the system and choose to retire.

    6) Profit.

    Sent from my SCH-I545 using TGR Forums
    Quote Originally Posted by Smoke
    Cell phones are great in the backcountry. If you're injured, you can use them to play Tetris, which helps pass the time while waiting for cold embrace of Death to envelop you.

  6. #6
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    Jan 2008
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    Clearly the government has trained the bighorn sheep to run away from skiers. This is an obvious attempt by Obama and his socialist minions to further deprive free-thinking, free-living, red-blooded Americans of their rights. First they take our guns, then they take our skis, then they take our testicles, except for a few prime specimens who will be captured and forced to breed with Chelsea Clinton and the Obama girls to start a new race of left wing radical bleeding heart Lesbian Amazons.

    There has been a summer bighorn closure area in the southern Sierra for decades--not sure it is still in effect. Latest article I could find was talking about lifting the restrictions, due to a rebound in the number of sheep.

    We all have our own value systems. In my value system the right of the bighorn species to exist takes precedence over my and your right to ski any place we feel like it. Most of this thread reads like more spoiled American whining.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by old goat View Post
    Clearly the government has trained the bighorn sheep to run away from skiers. This is an obvious attempt by Obama and his socialist minions to further deprive free-thinking, free-living, red-blooded Americans of their rights. First they take our guns, then they take our skis, then they take our testicles, except for a few prime specimens who will be captured and forced to breed with Chelsea Clinton and the Obama girls to start a new race of left wing radical bleeding heart Lesbian Amazons.

    There has been a summer bighorn closure area in the southern Sierra for decades--not sure it is still in effect. Latest article I could find was talking about lifting the restrictions, due to a rebound in the number of sheep.

    We all have our own value systems. In my value system the right of the bighorn species to exist takes precedence over my and your right to ski any place we feel like it. Most of this thread reads like more spoiled American whining.
    COME ON DUDE SKIING IS MY FUCKIN LIFEBLOOD, BRO

  8. #8
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    We are all animals and should be able to roam as we please.

  9. #9
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    Wow, took six posts to blame Obama...slacking! Personally, I'm thinking it's an old goat like Bush Sr driving this...or wait, maybe it's backcountry.com.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by farmer View Post
    You are all just confused as to how the pseudoscience that is wildlife biology works.

    1) Pick an animal you think people will care about when you lie to them. Bugs are a bad choice, choose something cute.

    2) Pick an area you think would make good living quarters for this animal. Ignore the fact that they have had millions of years to get there and have chose not to.

    3) Pick a human caused reason why this animal isn't there. Logic and reason should play no part in this.

    4) Sue the gov't to fuck over someone else.

    5) Force the gov't to pay you to study this critter until you have milked every drop out of the system and choose to retire.

    6) Profit.

    Sent from my SCH-I545 using TGR Forums
    You just described the Gallatin Crest closure and pretty much all of the travel plans put forth by the Forest Service in Montana in the last decade. Nice.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by postnasaldrip View Post
    We are all animals and should be able to roam as we please.
    We are the only animals with the power of reason sufficient to develop and use technology to the point where the dangers of existing on earth have been so muted that we can "recreate." I guess now that I think of it that I've heard dolphins have sex for pleasure.

    Other animals "roam" in order to find food to survive, and to find mates to perpetuate their species. We "roam" recreationally in order to feel good about ourselves, and get some voluntary jollies.

    If we continue to see our own whims and interests as god-given priorities within a natural order, than the robust nature skiers purport to enjoy will continue to diminsh until it is undesireable to us. Natural decline is already well underway--perhaps climate change will advance so rapidly that the ski industry will collapse before big horn sheep are scared out of their native habitat?

  12. #12
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    If you read the study, they are just proposing to limit a few hillsides.
    Forum Cross Pollinator, gratuitously strident

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by rideit View Post
    If you read the study, they are just proposing to limit a few hillsides.
    It's no fun if you actually read the study. Wild rumors and groundless speculation are better.

  14. #14
    Hugh Conway Guest
    what a bunch of assholes.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by old goat View Post
    It's no fun if you actually read the study. Wild rumors and groundless speculation are better.
    Isn't that why we all hang out on tgr?

    Although, i have learned a lot about wolves and now we're on to sheep. I'm sure there's few in here with plenty of experience with sheep. Hmm, who comes to mind...ahh...Rog, 'cause he can't respond!

  16. #16
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    Sheep are cuter than wolves and don't eat livestock. Good fodder.
    Quote Originally Posted by blurred
    skiing is hiking all day so that you can ski on shitty gear for 5 minutes.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by rideit View Post
    If you read the study, they are just proposing to limit a few hillsides.
    Do you have a link? I can't find it.

  18. #18
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    I read it in the paper here, it was a front page story.
    Maybe search Jackson Hole News and Guide
    Forum Cross Pollinator, gratuitously strident

  19. #19
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  20. #20
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    Thanks, HMS
    I hadn't really looked at the map, looks like there *could* be some impact on local skiing.
    Looks like you had a good time in Montana!
    Forum Cross Pollinator, gratuitously strident

  21. #21
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    hell, CA pop 4
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    So they've tranquilized, captured, ear tagged, and radio collared roughly 22% of Wyoming's Bighorn population, and then they blame skiers for the sheep avoiding skiers?????????????

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
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    68
    Quote Originally Posted by Christopher3000 View Post
    We are the only animals with the power of reason sufficient to develop and use technology to the point where the dangers of existing on earth have been so muted that we can "recreate." I guess now that I think of it that I've heard dolphins have sex for pleasure.

    Other animals "roam" in order to find food to survive, and to find mates to perpetuate their species. We "roam" recreationally in order to feel good about ourselves, and get some voluntary jollies.

    If we continue to see our own whims and interests as god-given priorities within a natural order, than the robust nature skiers purport to enjoy will continue to diminsh until it is undesireable to us. Natural decline is already well underway--perhaps climate change will advance so rapidly that the ski industry will collapse before big horn sheep are scared out of their native habitat?
    Well if you want to get technical........

  23. #23
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    West By God Wyoming
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    Ok I read those articles but I haven't seen anything that says anyone is proposing any specific closures.

  24. #24
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    Prediction:
    They'll close a few areas, then studying will notice that the adjacent areas are not as frequently inhabited, then they'll close those, repeat...

    Its good that Bighorns have/are being reintroduced, but closing larger and larger areas because of them is overstepping.

  25. #25
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    so is there a peer reviewed study on this or just a bunch of newspaper articles and communications between biologists?
    Its not that I suck at spelling, its that I just don't care

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