This Big Horn Ram got tangled up in a fence near Broadus Mt. There are not any known populations of sheep in the area, so it had to cross a lot of fences before it got tangled up here. Broadus is in the SE corner of Mt.

that is a shame. I hate to see that happen to game animals.

That is a shame. i've lost count of deer and domestic animals i've freed from a fence. Sometimes nothing can be done though and the merciful thing is to put the animal down.

That's a real shame. You hate to see that anywhere.

But BROADUS??? That's some serious disorientation there.

Or, maybe there more bighorns out there than previously thought. Wouldn't THAT be cool....

Are the dates on the photos correct? From over a year ago?

Elkman2: That is a tragedy! I have not seen any Bighorns near Broadus but there are some Cliffs called Big Sheep Cliffs out of Miles City. Just west of Broadus between Ashland and Otter are the hills and buttes of the Custer National Forest and just east and north east of Broadus are the Chalk Buttes and the Ekalaka Hills - these are perfect areas for Bighorns to live in!
I have seen lots of Bighorns in the Breaks of the Missouri way north of Broadus and of course the Bighorn Mountains just across the Wyoming/Montana border has lots of Bighorns.
I only saw one Big Game Animal freshly killed in a fence this fall and it was a huge beautiful Cow Elk.
Slow deaths these fence kills!
And thats a shame also!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I have passed through Broadus a few times and that sure didn't look like sheep country to me!

Hi All,

What is the position in the states if you have to put an animal down when it is caught in a fence? Are you entitled to the meat? If so would it need to be tagged as a normal game animal shot in season. What about if it is out of season?

Here in the UK we are currently looking at revising some of the legislation involving acts of mercy with RTA incidents etc, so it is quite topical.

Thanks
FB

All of the States are different. Here in Wyoming only a Warden can put an animal down unless the season is open and You have an open tag.. I think he can give an individual permission, but he must be contacted He can also give permission to use the meat and recover the horns but there must be a paper trail for this to happen.

In Montana, if the animal in question is not in season or you do not have a valid license for the animal (including time AND district), I believe you must contact a game warden and give them the location/condition of the animal. They MAY tell you to euthanize the animal or they MAY tell you to wait for them to arrive. If it IS in season and you have a valid license and permission to hunt where the animal is, then you certainly may put the animal down, but you have filled your tag if you do so.

Out of season, the meat will be collected, processed, and given to a food bank if possible. We're not even supposed to pick up fresh roadkills, though I know a lot of people do so.

In the case of the bighorn sheep, even if it were already dead it would be illegal to possess the horns. No picking up "shed" bighorn sheep skulls or horns in MT. Deer/elk sheds are perfectly legal.

There is a small population of sheep in that corner of ND-could have wandered from there. ???

There has always been a population of Big Horn Sheep south of Miles City, Montana and for a number of years they give one or two tags out. Now the season has been suspended and I do not know the current status of the heard.