The Flat Top sheep band now has a couple dogs with it! This is great news and will help the herder hear what is going on with his sheep at night. Additionally, we put a prototype non-lethal deterrent on one of the dogs, called a bark light. This light is attached to a collar and turns on when the dog barks. This combination of light and sound is very effective in deterring wolves, and we hope to start implementing these more in the future.
Abodon with his Punta de Lobos hat (Wolves Point)
Both of the Flat T-op herders I have visited with have been wearing some form of wolf-themed clothing when I’ve visited with them. When I first met Felipe, he had a wolf shirt on, and Abodon had a hat that said “Wolves Point”. I’m hoping this brings good karma with the wolves, though I think the effective use of non-lethal deterrents will yield better results.
Luckily for the sheep, Abodon has been a herder for over 20 years and has worked with the project for most of our history. He is consistently using the non-lethal tools we are prescribing. Thanks, Abodon!
Heading out to sleep with the sheep – via bicycle
This week I received a call from a herder out West of town. He said he had heard wolves nearby, and it was time that I checked in with him anyways. I headed out on my bike with my gear packed, thinking I would meet with him and then camp out and listen for wolves in the area. I assumed that the sheep would be close to where the herder was sleeping for the night, but when I arrived he pointed to where they were. Tiny white blips appeared on the far side of a wooded valley. Oh no, this isn’t good! With wolves potentially nearby and the sheep incredibly far from the herder, I decided to head over to where they were and stake out for the night, despite not planning on it beforehand. I arrived just as night fell. The sheep band appeared calm, barely baa-ing.
As I accustomed to their noises, I began hearing a far-off baa-ing that didn’t sit well with me. I quickly realized that the other half of the band was on the other side of the valley where we had just come from, though much further down the mountain and well off the trail.
One of the dogs had stayed with that half of the band, while the other two were with our half. The herder shined his light and fired off his rifle into the air, trying to make a commotion in the case the wolves he had heard were nearby.
It was quiet that night and everything ended up fine in the morning. The band was reunited, and I left without having to investigate any dead sheep. I did feel a little disappointed I didn’t get to hear the wolves but that was for the best in this situation.
A few days after my bike excursion, a new volunteer joined the project. We went to go check-in with two of the herders a bit north of Ketchum. The lambs were about to be shipped, and I wanted to make sure everything was going well. When we arrived, we heard that one of the herders had seen a wolf fairly close that morning. While our role is not to sleep near the sheep every night, occasionally it makes more sense than other times to do so. With a wolf nearby, the lambs about to be shipped, and the band sleeping quite a distance from the herder camp, I decided to show Tara, our new volunteer, the ropes of guarding the sheep at night.
Following the exceptionally vague instructions of the herder, we headed out to the sheep band at night. The livestock guardian dogs barked, letting us know we were on the right path. After setting up a few Fox Lights around the sheep, we stayed up till dawn, listening to the sheep and shining the occasional light across their sleeping area. No wolves that night but a spectacular meteor shower greeted us and the sheep band.
Another successful week in the Big Wood River Valley!
Thanks again for all your help and support. We couldn’t do this work without you.
Logan