"There are also few environmental disturbances here and no large predators, like cougars and bears. Coyotes may take a few lambs, but the sheep don't have to deal with the big predators," said Dolling.

As a result, the herd grew rapidly. By the fall of 2000, the island herd had grown to 80 sheep. At that time, 15 were captured and moved to the Newfoundland Mountains to the west of the Great Salt Lake to establish a new herd. By February 2003, the island herd had grown to 118 animals and at that time, 20 more sheep were captured and moved to the Newfoundland Mountains. In 2005, 50 sheep were moved and now 55 more have been captured and moved.

Early records — including American Indian rock art and stories from explorers — indicate that bighorn sheep were widespread over Utah. Changes in habitat, disease and over-hunting reduced Utah's sheep population to a small band of desert bighorn in the southern reaches of the state.

Through strict management and importation of sheep from other states, Utah's bighorn sheep population is rebounding — not only on the island and the Stansbury and Newfoundland mountains, but also on Mount Timpanogos, areas around Moab and Canyonlands, Uinta Mountains, and the San Juan and San Rafael areas.

Here in Utah, there are three species of bighorn — Rocky Mountain, California and desert. The desert bighorn is the smallest of the three. A desert ram will weigh about 125 pounds, a Rocky Mountain ram about 250 and a California ram somewhere between the two.

The desert bighorn roams the dry areas along the Colorado Plateau in southern and southeastern Utah, with a few holding in the Mojave area by the Virgin River.

The Rocky Mountain sheep are mostly found along the Green River corridor between Flaming Gorge and the town of Green River, with the most recent herds holding on Mount Timpanogos and Provo peaks.

The California sheep are found on Antelope Island, Stansbury and Newfoundland mountains.

Studies show that animals placed in an empty habitat, as in the case of the island sheep, do amazingly well. Thinning the herd, said Bates, will keep the sheep on this upward curve and will makeit possible to expand existing herds and establish new ones.

Which means in order to maintain manageable numbers, trapping and moving sheep from the island may become, as Bates said, an annual event.

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