139 Sheep, Six Days – KCD9
In June 2025, KUIU Conservation Direct and Grand Slam Club/Ovis (GSCO) partnered with the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) to complete the largest wild sheep capture and transplant on record.
Over six days, we captured and relocated 139 desert bighorns from the Muddy Mountains in Nevada to three separate locations:
- 58 to establish a brand-new herd in the Cortez Mountains in northern Nevada
- 43 to supplement an existing herd in the Tobin Range
- 38 to Utah’s new desert sheep nursery herd
The capture and translocation portion of this project were funded by KUIU Conservation Direct and Grand Slam Club/Ovis. These funds ($300,000) were made immediately available and specifically earmarked for this capture. This is the perfect example of the Conservation Direct mission, a single project fully funded from start to finish.
The operation was expertly planned and staffed by NDOW’s outstanding biologists and veterinary team. This was a monumental effort, and we tip our hats to their professionalism and dedication to this project.
We also extend thanks to the many volunteers who worked tirelessly in unforgiving heat over six days from Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn, Utah Wild Sheep Foundation, WSF, GSCO, and KUIU.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in a project of this scale and significance.
“Since March 2020, KUIU Conservation Direct has contributed $779,000 in direct funding toward tangible sheep conservation projects. These efforts have supported a total of 368 Rocky Mountain, California, and Desert Bighorn Sheep across 13 translocations in five western states (MT, ND, UT, AZ, and NV).”
