The results from the helicopter survey that we instituted and  funded in the Cady Mountains are in, and the results are AMAZING!

DFG surveyed 60% of the Cady's that had sheep habitat and counted 109 desert bighorn sheep!  In my conversation with Andy Pauli on Monday, I asked him what his best hope had been. His answer was "50."

Now we have 109 sheep documented in just 60% of the unit. (That's all they planned to fly.)

Moreover, in the typical survey in desert habitat, only 40% of the sheep in the unit surveyed are seen. So, if you run the numbers using the accepted average assumptions, that means that there are ~425 desert bighorn sheep in the Cady mountains!!!!!

Obviously that's an incredible number and it means that we will have a new hunt unit here not later than 2009, and that we should expect 4-5 ram tags as a result as a minimum!!!!!

Andy is already looking to see what paperwork is needed to get this unit opened as a hunt unit. We will need to survey the unit again next fall to back up these numbers. Never-the-less, this is a result that's on the level of what we did in the White mountains three years ago, folks! Moreover, George Kerr, who flew the survey, told me that they saw sam tremendous rams!!!

Thanks to each and every one of you for helping us get this done!

In 2003 we held our first fundraiser and there were just 11 tags in the public draw. This year there are 19. David Combs has often told me that his dream has been that because of our efforts, in the not too distant future, there would be 35 tags in California. Even I thought that such a number was nothing more than wishful thinking. But now I truly believe that, "The Drive For Thirty Five" is not only doable, but that the date when we see 35 tags in California  is much closer than we could have ever imagined!!

FOR THE SHEEP!

Kyle