HELENA — Montana wildlife commissioners say they want to keep looking for suitable sites within the state to relocate bighorn sheep.
Commissioners on Thursday rejected for the second time a proposal from Fish, Wildlife and Parks to move some wild sheep out of state.
Wildlife managers say herds in the Missouri Breaks are too densely populated, raising the chance that disease will wipe them out.
Transplanting excess sheep out of state in the past was a somewhat routine practice. That changed in 2009 following hunter complaints when 60 sheep were transplanted to Utah.
Wildlife managers say they can no longer find suitable relocation sites in Montana. They want to send 50 of the animals to South Dakota.
The commission plans to again take up the issue during an upcoming teleconference.