Public Meeting: Updates Proposed for Bighorn Sheep Seasonal Ranges
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is proposing updates to the seasonal range map for the Ferris-Seminoe Bighorn Sheep Herd Unit, including the identification of new crucial winter/yearlong ranges and parturition (lambing) ranges.
Game and Fish biologists will present this update at an open house on June 11, 2025, 6-8 PM at the Rawlins Family Recreation Center in their multi-purpose room (1616 Harshman Street, Rawlins, WY 82301). Before the herd range becomes final, the public will have a chance to give feedback. Comments will be accepted online until June 15 at 5 PM (MDT). A finalized seasonal range update will be released by June 30.
The Game and Fish is updating the seasonal range maps for the Ferris-Seminoe Bighorn Sheep Herd for the first time since 1999. Since then, the population has rebounded from fewer than 15 sheep in 2003 to around 300–350 today, thanks to a series of successful transplants of sheep better adapted to the area’s unique landscape. Unlike earlier transplants that struggled to survive, these new sheep have established themselves across the Ferris, Seminoe, and Bennett Mountains.
Using GPS collar data from projects done between 2009 and 2023, wildlife managers are proposing new seasonal habitat maps that reflect where sheep spend time during the winter and lambing seasons. Wildfire and prescribed burns and habitat improvements have made many areas in the Ferris-Seminoe Ranges more suitable for bighorn sheep, especially during critical times like lambing, and have led the population to expand its range.
View the proposed seasonal range update and timeline
The deadline to submit written comments is 5 p.m. on June 15, 2025.
For additional information, please contact Rawlins Wildlife Biologist, Ashley Umphlett at 307-320-6200 or Saratoga Wildlife Biologist, Teal Cufaude at 307-321-7087.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department supports the Americans with Disabilities Act. Every effort will be made for reasonable accommodations by contacting the Wyoming Game and Fish.
