New Range-Wide Population Estimate - Spring 2017

In mid-November 2016, the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) conducted a helicopter survey for bighorn sheep in the Peninsular Ranges. This was the first range-wide survey since 2010. They saw 588 bighorn sheep (including lambs) and 62% of the collared bighorn. Statistically, CDFW estimates there are now 794 adult bighorn in the Peninsular Ranges, which stretch from Palm Springs to the Mexican border. This population estimate is down from the last survey in 2010, which estimated 955 Peninsular bighorn.