BOZEMAN – State wildlife officials say 49 bighorn sheep captured on Wild Horse Island in Flathead Lake last week have been safely released in the mountains south of Dillon.
Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials say the sheep were captured and transferred to the Tendoy Mountains last Thursday through Saturday.
The 49 sheep included 40 ewes, four lambs and five rams.
FWP biologist Bruce Sterling says a 2-year-old ram that was caught on Saturday died on the island from a fractured neck while being netted.
Funding for the project comes from the annual auction of a single Montana bighorn ram hunting permit. This year, the permit sold for $300,000 at the Wild Sheep Foundation auction in Reno, Nev.
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