Nevada Wildlife Officials Recommending More Hunts To Control Bighorn Sheep, Elk Populations

The Nevada Department of Wildlife is recommending: a record number of hunting tags; expanded hunting grounds; and new hunts, for the first time.

Populations of elk have more than doubled over the past 10 years. The number of Bighorn sheep has increased from 3,000 to 9,000.

Chris Healy is with the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

"When you have success, there is often a byproduct and now we just have in some cases in limited area, too many sheep," says Healy. 

Healy says less forage, as a result of the drought, will weaken herds and make them more susceptible to disease. So for the first time the department is recommending hunting female Big Horns to reduce the number of births.