Summer Roundup Planned for Wild Horse Range in Montana's Pryor Mountains

BILLINGS, Montana — Federal land managers are planning a summer roundup of wild horses from Montana's Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range to control the herd size. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) aims to capture the majority of the 170 horses on the range near the Wyoming border.

BLM workers will herd the animals and use bait for capture, without employing helicopters. The goal is to remove 30 animals aged between 1 and 3 years from the population. In past roundups, captured animals have been auctioned publicly.

The Pryor herd, believed to descend from horses used by Spanish Conquistadors, is managed to maintain a size between 90 and 120 animals, excluding foals, to prevent overgrazing and damage to the range.

The BLM is accepting comments on its roundup proposal until April 24. Roundups occur periodically, with 700 horses removed since 1971. The last roundup in 2012 saw the removal of 38 horses and six foals.

Last month, the BLM approved the continued use of fertility control on mares from the Pryor herd to reduce the need for future gathers. This program, initiated in 2011, involves administering a fertility drug via dart.

The horse range, established in 1968, spans 38,000 acres of Forest Service, National Park Service, and BLM land near Bighorn Canyon, with most horses residing high in the Pryor Mountains.

Originally reported by Associated Press.