Bighorn sheep, including yearlings and ewes, congregate on a hillside overlooking the South Fork John Day River southeast of Dayville. Bighorns were not the only animals making an appearance this sunny day in early April. Antelope and mule deer rambled around the flats at nearby Murderers Creek on the Phillip Schneider Wildlife Area. The Eagle/DAVID CARKHUFF

PORTLAND – A bighorn sheep hunt planned for southeastern Oregon this fall has been canceled due to low population counts, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced on Monday, April 14.

Biologists decided to cancel hunt number 567B, West Owyhee, after a helicopter survey found only two mature rams in the hunt area of about 1,500 square miles, of which about 250 square miles is bighorn sheep habitat.

ODFW biologists plan to eliminate this hunt until the population is recovered. The hunt area is a portion of hunt unit 67 west of the Owyhee River, and was scheduled to take place Sept. 1-14.

Hunters must apply by May 15 to be included in the annual lottery for a tag to hunt a bighorn sheep ram. Because of the very limited number of bighorn sheep tags, hunters may only be successful in the lottery once in a lifetime.

In 2002, 153 people applied for the one available tag for the West Owyhee hunt.

“People wait their whole lives to get the chance to hunt a bighorn and we felt that it was a disservice to the successful hunter to allow the hunt to go forward,” said Don Whittaker, a big game biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

As of April 7, 20 hunters had listed the West Owyhee hunt as their first choice in their application. All the hunters will be notified of the cancellation and given three options.

Hunters may allow the second choice bighorn sheep hunt to become the first choice, amend their application at no cost or withdraw the application and receive a refund of the $4.50 application fee.