Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The 2025 annual Desert Bighorn Sheep surveys in the Trans-Pecos Region are done and the results are in!
We are pleased to report that during 152.7 flight hours, covering 12 monitoring areas, we observed a total of 730 Desert Bighorn Sheep (233 Rams, 369 ewes, 128 Lambs), and an overall lamb crop of 34%. These values suggest a positive trend for Desert Bighorn Sheep in Texas!
The newly established population of sheep in the Franklin Mountains had 84 sheep observed, of which we are excited to report are 13 new El Pasoan lambs. With 36 rams, 35 ewes, and 13 lambs the Franklin Mountains experienced a recruitment rate of 37%, a positive trend in the population for the first-year post-translocation.
The Bighorn Sheep appeared to be in very favorable body conditions thanks to the monsoon rains in the El Paso area this year. We hope that these favorable range conditions continue throughout the winter for another promising lamb crop next year.
Any Bighorn Sheep without a collar seen by visitors to FMSP are sheep born in the Franklin Mountains.
We thank all of our partners and private landowners for their generous support of these important wildlife surveys.
#texas #elpaso #franklinmountains #bighornsheep #wildlife #wildlifeconservation #tpwdiscover #tpwd
The 2025 annual Desert Bighorn Sheep surveys in the Trans-Pecos Region are done and the results are in!
We are pleased to report that during 152.7 flight hours, covering 12 monitoring areas, we observed a total of 730 Desert Bighorn Sheep (233 Rams, 369 ewes, 128 Lambs), and an overall lamb crop of 34%. These values suggest a positive trend for Desert Bighorn Sheep in Texas!
The newly established population of sheep in the Franklin Mountains had 84 sheep observed, of which we are excited to report are 13 new El Pasoan lambs. With 36 rams, 35 ewes, and 13 lambs the Franklin Mountains experienced a recruitment rate of 37%, a positive trend in the population for the first-year post-translocation.
The Bighorn Sheep appeared to be in very favorable body conditions thanks to the monsoon rains in the El Paso area this year. We hope that these favorable range conditions continue throughout the winter for another promising lamb crop next year.
Any Bighorn Sheep without a collar seen by visitors to FMSP are sheep born in the Franklin Mountains.
We thank all of our partners and private landowners for their generous support of these important wildlife surveys.
#texas #elpaso #franklinmountains #bighornsheep #wildlife #wildlifeconservation #tpwdiscover #tpwd
