Introduction
The Bighorn Sheep, once native to the state of Texas was extirpated and now takes reintroduction efforts in order for survival. Many causes aided with the Bighorn Sheep die out in Texas, such as unregulated hunting, predation, and competition for resources. Reintroduction began in the 1990’s and has been an experimental but yet successful program and has drawn the interest of the wildlife community because not only do managers want to see a species back in its native habitat but it draws the interest of hunters who are willing to pay big money for a trophy animal like a Bighorn Sheep. This paper goes over past and current populations, management strategies, as well as issues such as escape cover and diet availability that must be taken into consideration for the success of the effort. It is important that Bighorn Sheep are properly reintroduced and can flourish in Texas so the species will have a wide range of places to live to prevent endangerment.
Literature Summary
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Brewer and Louis A. Harveson, evaluates the diets of Bighorn Sheep in Texas by collecting fecal material from rams, ewes and even lambs and then determines the plant makeup for evaluation. This study was performed in the Chihuahuan Desert in west Texas, but more specifically the Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area. When the results were gather and determined they were then compared between sexes, years, season, and mountain ranges. Throughout this study it was determined that Browse is the most important taxa class followed by forbs, grasses and succulents in order. Also, the diets differed between mountain ranges in Texas and that shows that wherever that the sheep is being reintroduced that management strategies might have to be altered in order to fit the needs of the sheep. The Elephant Mountain WMA is an ideal spot for reintroduction due to the population increase throughout the study, and the diversity in plants found