RECENT POSTS
5.12.25
Following the Money in Alberta
BOZEMAN, MT. The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) today applauded Alberta’s Minister’s Special License Auction (MSLA) Adjudication Committee, and the Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS) for the recent allocation of critical conservation funding from the sale of special Conservation Permits and for seeing that these funds are directed to areas of greatest conservation need in the province. WSF has auctioned the Minister’s bighorn sheep permit at its annual Sheep Show® Convention since 1995.
5.8.25
WSF Raffling the Arizona Bighorn Tag
The Wild Sheep Foundation announced a special opportunity for a chance at one of the most highly coveted tags in big game hunting. In partnership with the Arizona Game & Fish Department, and Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, WSF will be offering raffle ticket chances for a Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep tag through June 30th. This special raffle tag will be valid in most hunting districts in Arizona from Aug 15, 2025–Aug 14, 2026.
4.21.25
Statement from the Wild Sheep Foundation on the Disposal of Federal Public Lands
US federal public lands are home to the majority of bighorn, desert bighorn, and Dall’s sheep in the country. The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) cannot sacrifice these lands any more than we could sacrifice these wild sheep that are our life’s mission. We are committed equally to the entirety of the public land estate beyond the ranges of wild sheep. The many values of these lands held in trust exceed the value of any other use or tenure.
4.14.25
Bill Jex Joins WSF as Thinhorn Sheep Program Lead
BOZEMAN, MT — The Wild Sheep Foundation is pleased to announce that Bill Jex of British Columbia will join WSF as Thinhorn Sheep Program Lead. In this capacity, Jex will lead WSF thinhorn sheep efforts to conserve and enhance wild sheep and their habitat across Canada and Alaska. Dall’s sheep of Alaska, the Yukon, and Northwest Territories and Stone’s sheep found in British Columbia are classified and thinhorn sheep.
4.3.25
WSF: Wyoming “Governors Tags” and Conservation Funding
Bozeman, Montana – The Wyoming Governor's Big Game License Coalition (WGBGLC) finalized its 2025 project funding by allocating $1.5+ million for Wyoming wildlife conservation projects with monies raised by auctioning special big game tags in 2024 and 2025. A total of 73 projects (including 7 bighorn sheep projects) that benefit the Coalition’s five priority big game species will be funded from the sale of five bighorn sheep, five moose, 10 deer/elk/antelope and five wild bison licenses.
2.11.25
Conservation Permits: A History of Impacting Wild Sheep Conservation
In 1980, a new strategy to fund wild sheep conservation emerged in Wyoming. The state auctioned off a single bighorn sheep hunting permit, raising $23,000—a staggering sum at the time.
Fast forward to today, and the concept has reached unprecedented heights. The sale of New Mexico's bighorn sheep tag for $1.3 million at the 2025 Sheep Show is the latest and most dramatic example of how conservation permit auctions have evolved. This, however, is not without its questions. As the numbers climb, does this still align with the values that have long defined North American wildlife conservation?
2.7.25
The Sheep Show® Inspires the Next Generation
During the recent Sheep Show® in Reno, NV, the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) welcomed over 3,000 young people and their families to its annual Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience (YWCE).
“In three days, at least 2,904 youth participated in the event,” said Dr. Ryan Brock, WSF’s Youth Education Coordinator. “This was a 5% increase from last year’s 2,754 individual kids. We finally had to swing the doors wide open and stop counting. All our volunteer instructors and myself were thrilled with the turnout.”
1.29.25
Sheep Show® 2025: An Uplifting Sense of Urgency
As wild sheep go, so does wildlife across the West.
Both bighorn and thinhorn sheep serve as the proverbial canaries in the coal mine of big game. Their presence in rugged, remote landscapes captivates us, yet it is this very remoteness that intensifies the challenges of habitat alteration, predation, and disease.
1.23.25
Wild Sheep Advocacy Shines in Reno
The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) concluded its 48th annual convention, The Sheep Show®, this past week in Reno, NV, raising a record amount of funding and excitement for wild sheep conservation. The Sheep Show® is the premier event for raising dedicated funding for state, provincial, territorial, and tribal wildlife agencies for their wild sheep and other big game management programs, as well as other WSF Mission programs. Money raised goes toward wild sheep management and enhancement programs to maintain and grow wild sheep populations.
12.20.24
Wild Sheep Foundation Welcomes New Directors
The Wild Sheep Foundation welcomes four new Directors to its Board of Directors, whose terms will commence May 1, 2025. The new Directors, having been voted into office by the Foundation’s general membership, are: Kyle Stelter (Courtenay, BC), Kevin J. Kehoe (Anchorage, AK), Larry Johns (Verdi, NV), and Bralli Clifford (Lander, WY).
12.12.24
WSF: Successful Desert Bighorn Translocation in Texas
This past week, 77 desert bighorn sheep were captured from the Elephant Mountains Wildlife Management Areas in the Trans-Peco Region of west Texas and safely released into the Franklin Mountains to establish a new wild sheep population. “The Wild Sheep Foundation was thrilled to partner with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Texas Bighorn Society (TBS) as catalysts and funding partners for the establishment of a new disease-free population of desert bighorn sheep,” stated Gray N. Thornton, WSF President and CEO.
11.21.24
WSF Congratulates 2024 Markhor Award Winner
The Wild Sheep Foundation salutes Iran’s MansurAbad Community-based Protected Area Project as this year’s Markhor Award winner. The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation presents the Award every two years. The Award is sponsored by WSF, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
