The Tall But True Tale of Early Sheep Conservationist Burch Carson
Left: Carson with a coatimundi and leopard cat. Right: This photo of a small bunch of sheep with a big ram barely visible was also taken in the Beach range. Burch took this long-range photo of a small bunch of sheep in the Beach Range. (Carson Family Collection)
The Path of the Rimrock Man: Exploring Burch Carson's Early Advocacy for Texas' Desert Bighorns
The Beach Mountains rise to elevations over 6,000 feet, with steep, rocky slopes and narrow ridges. Sheer rock faces, loose shale, and treacherous canyons characterize this Trans-Pecos Texas terrain. It's an area much better suited for desert bighorn sheep than people, yet in seventh grade, W.B. "Burch" Carson would pack up his camping gear on most weekends and head to these rugged, remote mountains near his home.And he did it alone.
Most of us can't fathom allowing a seventh grader to ride their bike a few blocks from our homes these days, much less sending them into rattlesnake and mountain lion-infested mountains. Times were different in the 1920s in Van Horn, TX, however. There, a population of around 900, including Carson and his family, lived in a challenging, isolated part of the world. It was a time when men were men, and in many ways, so were young boys who had to grow up fast to meet the demands of what could be a tough life in rural America.
This early obsession with the mountains and the wildlife contained within helped forge what would become a powerful advocate for desert bighorn sheep in West Texas.
After taking a load of lumber in to the construction site of his Victorio Canyon cabin, Burch heads out with an empty mule, 1936. (Carson Family Collection)
The Texas Game, Fish, and Oyster Commission (the precursor to Texas Parks and Wildlife) hired Carson in 1940. They tasked him with surveying Texas's desert bighorn sheep population, primarily in the Sierra Diablo, Baylor, and Beach mountain ranges.
This was a Herculean task that was met with many challenges. It showcased Carson's powerful love of wildlife and wild places and gave him deep insight into issues desert bighorn sheep face even today in Texas.
A Natural Naturalist
Rimrock Man: The Early Life of W.B. Carson, 1907-1946, author Robert M. Anderson went to painstaking lengths to research this man who would make an indelible mark on West Texas and the story of the desert bighorn sheep in the region. That book was the guidepost for this article.A quote from the Carson family history written by Burch's cousin, F. Tom Carson, speaks of an individual at one with nature.
"From childhood, he was a student of nature and a disciple of the great out-of-doors. He learned the ways and habits of animals, was familiar with ores and minerals, became an expert with gun and reel, and was a practiced guide, woodsman, and mountain man. Burch would have made a worthy and congenial colleague of his distant cousin, Kit Carson, but was born just 100 years too late for that."
William Burch Carson was born on August 3, 1907, in Barstow, a small Ward County, TX town. His parents were Samuel Burch Carson, who served as sheriff and later judge of Ward County, and Maida Alice Walker Carson, daughter of Judge J.J. Walker, one of Barstow's founders.
Burch spent his early childhood in Barstow until he was eleven when the family relocated to Van Horn. The surrounding mountains immediately became a significant point of interest for him. As a young boy, Carson assisted in his family's Van Horn Trading Company, where he regularly interacted with local ranchers who shared tales of lost mines, buried treasures, and other folklore from the area.
These stories intensified his interest in exploration, and he began venturing further into the mountains on weekends. His explorations included overnight trips to the Beach Mountains, where he carried only a bedroll, some food, and a canteen, setting an alarm to ensure he returned home in time for school on Monday?.
Taking To Taxidermy
Burch Carson's educational journey was challenging. After completing public school in Van Horn, which only went through the eighth grade, he moved to Pecos to attend Pecos High School, where he struggled with some classes but managed to graduate. He then worked for a period before saving enough to enter St. Mary's College in San Antonio in the fall of 1928, where he found one of the great loves of his life-taxidermy.Carson started as an unpaid apprentice under the renowned taxidermist Alex Schleyer.
LEFT/TOP: Burch at work in his first taxidermy shop in Van Horn in the fall of 1932. Naturally, most of his work was mounting mule deer bucks taken in the Trans-Pecos area. Although shoulder mount forms of that era lacked the more correct shoulders of modern-day forms, his early mounts were still alert-looking. Oddly, his greatest area of taxidermy skill may have been in the mounting of birds of prey. Note the life-size golden eagle mount at Burch’s left side. RIGHT/BOTTOM: A postcard featuring one of Burch’s “jackalopes.” Burch always believed he was the first to mount the heads of West Texas jackrabbits with small spike deer horns. The origin of the term is obscure, but the humorous mounts are said to be the brainchild of two Wyoming taxidermists in the early 1920s. (Carson Family CollectioN)
In 1929, Carson continued his training with Jonas Brothers, a prestigious taxidermy firm in Denver, CO. Though primarily assigned to the skinning room, Carson observed advanced mounting techniques. By the fall of 1932, Carson established his taxidermy business in Van Horn. During the Great Depression, he worked hard to maintain a steady business by mounting mule deer heads and birds of prey, which were legal to harvest then. His lifelike mounts were popular among local hunters, and his work on golden eagles was noted for its quality and attention to detail.
Carson was known for his creative approach, especially in producing unique mounts like "jackalopes"—jackrabbit heads mounted with small antlers.
Despite still having a huge passion for the craft, Carson sold his business in 1939 to Texas taxidermist B.M. Caraway after a fateful conversation.
Early Sheep Surveys
In 1939, Burch Carson's life took a big turn. In the fall of that year, in a conversation with Captain A.R. Ray Williams, a respected game warden from Van Horn, he learned of a need for help surveying desert bighorn sheep. This informal suggestion from Williams likely led to official follow-up, and on April 19, 1940, Phil Goodrum, the director of wildlife restoration at the Commission, wrote to Carson.In his letter, Goodrum formally assigned Carson to undertake a census project for Texas' native desert bighorn sheep. The project aimed to assess population levels and examine factors like predation and environmental impacts on the species, marking the beginning of Carson's pivotal role in
Texas wildlife conservation.
He sold his business and took up the task.
"I decided to sell my taxidermy business and see what I could do about saving the bighorn mountain sheep in Texas," Carson said.
He took the job, which offered $125 monthly and expenses to feed horses, mules, and three dogs. But more than that, it provided adventure and lots of time in the wild, contributing to the conservation of a species he admired. Burch Carson began his sheep survey by traveling from the Beach and Baylor Mountains along the Sierra Diablo rim to Apache Canyon, a route covering about 40 miles.
The only known photograph of Burch with the ram, taken near the Yates ranch corrals after the ram had been packed down from a House Canyon rimrock on what Burch termed a “gentle horse.” (Carson Family Collection)
He conducted two extensive eight-day surveys along this route to avoid double-counting sheep. He managed his horses and mules in the rugged terrain using a pickup truck and a horse trailer.
During his early time in the field, he made some incredible observations.
- Carson documented the bighorns' feeding preferences by watching them feed and then gathering vegetation samples after they had left. He also collected sheep droppings and soil samples from bedding areas, although the specifics of the analysis remain unknown.
- Carson's survey uncovered six or seven deceased bighorns in his final months of work, all of which appeared to have died from disease. He also suggested the sheep were dying mainly from disease rather than predation.
- An interesting note was discovering that bighorns took shelter in caves, particularly during the summer, to escape the heat and gnats. He noted that while bighorns may temporarily use caves during rain or snow, they avoid staying in caves at night due to the risk of predators like mountain lions.
A Sense of Urgency
As time passed, Carson saw a dramatic decline in bighorn sheep. He wrote in a report to the Texas Oyster, Game & Fish Commission about the dramatic population decline."The inspector (Carson) points out that quick action will have to be taken if the bighorns are saved in Texas. As proof of their steady and certain decrease toward extinction, he states there were about 300 bighorns in 1937 when the first domestic sheep were brought into their range. They had decreased to 150 by 1940, and now they are down to 35 in 1945. How many will there be in 1947?"
Carson wrote, "His opinion is there will be none then if they are not fenced inside a large refuge, away from domestic sheep and their diseases, in the very near future."
According to revelations in Rimrock Man, Carson ultimately decided to leave the Texas Game, Fish, and Oyster Commission due to his frustration over the agency's limited actions to protect the bighorn sheep. In a letter, Carson expressed this disappointment later, noting, "They weren't trying to do a thing to save the bighorns at that time."
On July 24, 1940, during his census job with the Texas Game, Fish, and Oyster Commission, Burch found this skeleton of a young desert ram on the Garren Ranch thirteen miles west-northwest of Van Horn. Although the ram had apparently been dead for perhaps six months, he quickly concluded that the ram had not been killed by a mountain lion but rather succumbed to some disease contracted from domestic sheep in the area. While not scientifically trained, he was a keen observer, frequently collecting tissue and bone samples and sending them to Austin for analysis. (Carson Family Collection)
Carson had told friends he would leave Texas if no meaningful efforts were made to preserve the species. He was especially vocal about this before he left for military service during World War II, sharing his intent with ranchers and acquaintances who knew of his dedication to desert bighorn sheep.
After serving in the army, Carson acted on his decision and moved to Arkansas, where he found appeal in the forested landscapes and promising land opportunities. He began a new chapter by starting a family and living as a rancher and breeder, marking a significant transition from his conservation work in Texas.
A pair of young golden eagles nesting along the northern Sierra Diablo rim, May 3, 1940. After taking the photo, Burch then risked life and limb, crawling out on a two-foot ledge hundreds of feet high to collect the bones in the nest to send to the Texas Game, Fish, and Oyster Commission for analysis. Eagles claimed many a desert sheep lamb, and in the 1930s game wardens in the Trans-Pecos were under a mandate from the Commission to “get the eagles.” During this period more than 700 of the great raptors were shotgunned in flight from small, open-cockpit biplanes. (Carson Family Collection)
A Path Less Traveled
Carson's name is not well-known outside wildlife biologists, but those who know of his work regard him as a visionary and a legend."He not only provided some of the early recommendations for slowing the downward trend of desert bighorns in Texas but also emphasized the urgency in taking action," said Clay Brewer of WSF and former Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Desert Bighorn Sheep program leader.
Brewer said although desert bighorns eventually were extirpated from the region a couple of decades after Carson's work, he positively impacted the species.
"His work was important, and some things he said more than 80 years ago echo what we are contending with today."
Brewer reflected on Carson's enduring legacy, captured in the rock inscriptions he left across Texas's most isolated landscapes. Brewer, who came across several of these over the years, said they are more than carving. "For many of us, Burch Carson's carefully carved rock inscriptions in some of the most remote, rugged, and lonely places in Texas are much more than just seventy-five-year-old graffiti. They represent the spirit of our heritage: the incredible places few will ever see."
It's the spirit of determination that guides the Wild Sheep Foundation, its chapters and affiliates, and many agencies and tribal wildlife management positions throughout the West to stand firm and push beyond the boundaries for the sake of these incredible animals.
The Panther Pass inscription, December 3, 1991. Standing at the site, one can almost hear the muffled tap of Burch’s leather-covered hammer and the soft clink of his chisel on the granite as he whiled away the hours, glassing for sheep along the rim and out into the great flats to the northeast. (Robert M. Anderson Collection)
While Texas' desert bighorn population is not as low as when Carson began his surveys, it has decreased dramatically due disease issues.
This time, however, it is linked to aoudad instead of domestic stock.
The path to recovery will begin with a translocation to the Franklin Mountains, an area that hasn't had bighorns in more than 100 years and is currently aoudad-free.
The Franklin Mountains are a far cry from the super remote areas Carson surveyed as they surround the city of El Paso, but they do provide equally suitable habitat for these high desert icons.
They also offer the public a chance to see their beauty without risking life and limb, as Carson did on his early expeditions into a true, rugged wilderness. Perhaps someone, even from the young generation, will step up to be a great advocate after encountering their charismatic beauty.
In Rimrock Man, Anderson noted that Carson's enigmatic nature led him to live such a unique life. “After thirty-four years of knowing Burch as well as I believe anyone ever did, I may not have scratched the surface of the real W. B. Carson. It was tough to understand this unusual man who seemed to crave absolute solitude like a thirsty man craves cold water."
Not everyone can live that way, but those who love wild sheep can honor his legacy by considering the path less traveled.
Burch Carson first advocated for Texas desert bighorn conservation there, and perhaps we can do the same as they face similar challenges many decades later.
Contributing Author: Chester Moore is an award-winning wildlife journalist and lifelong hunter from Texas. He operates the Higher Calling Wildlife® blog and podcast and contributes to many outdoors publications.
