PREFACE (Scroll down to red text for updates)

The Fish Creek HMA consists of 250,244 acres of BLM land and 2,527 acres of a mix of private and other public lands for a total of 252,771 acres. BLM says the Appropriate Management Level (AML) is 101-170 wild horses. (You might find it interesting that the BLM website listing for Fish Creek has AML at 107-180, not 101-170.)

In 2021 BLM removed to AML under the 2015 Gather plan–EA. DUE TO ISSUES WITH BLM CLAIMING WE SAID UNDER LOW AML, I AM TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. BLM GATHERED to AML. AML IS 101-170 or 107-180 if you go with the BLM website. BLM REMOVED WILD HORSES DOWN TO LESS THAN 170. If BLM Gathered under low AML, it would technically be illegal anywhere, anytime. (BLM is quibbling because of a court ruling that states when they reach AML they are required to do a new analysis and BLM will never admit to cutting corners or doing anything even remotely wrong. At Fish Creek both the AML was reached and the physical environment was significantly different after they dismantled a critical water source noted in the 2015 EA without any public input. They should have done a new EA before contemplating this roundup.)

The area remained under high AML, only just nudging over high AML in 2024 (according to BLM surveys).  It is not assertion that this area was under AML. (note: BLM uses an annual growth rate to determine how many they want to remove. You can use that same growth rate and work backwards to determine if BLM hit aML: You can simply use the April 2024 survey as a starting point, deduct 18% (36) and the population in 2023 would have been 168. Deduct 18% of 168 (30) and the population in 2022 would have been 138. Deduct 18% of 138 (24), and the post roundup population in 2021 would have been 114. If we deduct 20%, BLM would have been well below low AML). 

This is relevant because when BLM reaches AML, they are supposed to do a new analysis and review. This new analysis would allow the public to address the loss of critical water sources, new data on genetics, the lack of data and more. BLM should have done an actual management plan (Herd Management Area Plan, HMAP) and a new analysis if a management plan even warranted a removal.

It unclear why approval was prioritized for the 2025 gather schedule in Fish Creek when the area was obviously not overpopulated.  We do know counties are pushing BLM to consider only “low AML” as the number allowed (and ignore high AML as any metric) and it looks like the courts will need to get involved once again. Changes in range conditions can be tied directly to the increase in livestock on the range since removals under this gather plan began. Wild horses have been under (or just at) a ridiculously low AML for years. (252,771 acres can only contain 107-180 wild horses).

Maps below illustrate the proximity to other HMAs and the “legal gather area” as defined by the approved 2015 plan.

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Our tracking has shown there are only about 150 wild horses in Fish Creek proper. So the only way we can see BLM coming close to making target numbers of 196, is if they hit the areas overlapping Pancake to the east and the herds to the West, calling the horses “Fish Creek, off HMA.”

This is another tragic roundup where the agency is fully coopted by politics and livestock. There was a time when Fish Creek was a great place to visit. Now the range is overrun with cattle, in a down spiral and finding horses is increasingly difficult.

Fish Creek has an incredibly important backstory that can be applied west wide (and we will talk about it more in the weeks ahead). In 2015, BLM was supposed to begin a program that began at twice AML, tracked horses, helped identify a real number the range could sustain, looked at historic gaps in data and use fertility control under a the mandate from Congress at that time (PZP darted) and no more roundups. Instead, BLM simply never followed through, dismantled a critical water source and the range is full of cattle.

Our team members are onsite and we thank them for enduring the long days and the elements so people at home can know what happens.

The BLM 2025 Fish Creek Roundup is on the schedule to capture 196 wild horses and permanently remove 144. If BLM reaches the capture goal, they will release 52 (sex-skewed 50-50) with 26 mares treated with PZP.

Cumulative totals:

Captured: 194 (91 Stallions, 100 Mares, and 3 Foals) (note: some of you have commented on the low number of foals. There are additional foals. At this operation if born in summer or fall, they are not being identified as “foals” due to the change in calendar year. Many of you that own horses know a standard practice is to simply have all horses turn “1-year” at the change of the calendar year. Not all roundups follow this practice. The inconsistencies in the way BLM reports things from district to district can be justifiably confusing.)

Shipped: 78 (35 Stallions, 41 Mares, and 2 Foals) to the off-limits to the public facility in Winnemucca, NV.

Deaths: 0 (See BLM, it can be done. There is no excuse. However, post-capture death rates at the facility that bid the lowest to take in these horses, that allows no public viewing, has an average death rate of 12.8%.)

Wild horses slated for removal will be shipped to the off-limits to the public facility in Winnemucca, NV. In the five years that that facility has been operational, BLM has only provided one tour. 

Newer daily reports will appear at the top. Scroll down for earlier reports.

011025

27 Studs and 23 Mares (mare treated with PZP-22, 6 of the mares had been treated at a previous roundup and retreated) were released. BLM said ages ranged from 4-20 years old, but we do not have a breakdown). BLM said 3 Curly studs and 3 Curly mares were part of the release.

Post roundup rundown is being edited and will publish shortly.

010925

The capture portion of the Fish Creek roundup has ended. 71 (32 Stallions, 39 Mares, and 0 Foals) wild horses were caught. We will write an extensive follow-up after the release.

Watch as the big white horse makes his way into the trees. The rest of the group did not follow the non-dominant horse and was captured.

We know these horses well and the saga surrounding this herd is heartbreaking.

Our team is logging and editing video, identifying which horses were captured. We will complete our report after the release.

010825

49 (25 Stallions, 22 Mares, and 2 Foals) were captured

Video condensed. To see long report click HERE.

BLM returned to the area between Pancake and Fish Creek and captured an additional 19 (12 Stallions, 7 Mares, and 0 Foals).

After trapping, we saw a single wild horse left on the range.

Tomorrow BLM will be moving inside the Fish Creek HMA near the western border.

This stud was chosen for release. If the target number for capture of 196 is met, BLM will release 52 (50% male, 50% female treated with PZP)

010625

A delay in the morning due to snow saw our team sitting on stand-by to go out for over 2 hours. When we contacted BLM and asked if they were flying, we were told to head to the meet zone.

By the time the convoy got to trap, three runs had already come in. Two additional runs came in and active trapping ended at around 11 a.m. We were held at trap for over 3 hours before traveling to temporary corrals.

On day one, BLM started right on the border with Pancake and pushed horses into trap from the east (direction of Pancake). Note: BLM is currently prohibited from capturing Pancake wild horses after the court found their analysis deficient. 

BLM captured about 55 wild horses from this area. BLM exceeded the number they expected to capture at the border with Pancake.

Snow had started to fall again. We were held an additional 35 minutes before being allowed to go to the temporary corrals, 45 minutes before sundown.

BLM said they might go back to the same trap tomorrow even though they already exceeded target apparently because with the bad weather, it was easier than moving trap.

Our team remains onsite.

Thank you for helping WHE stay on the frontline in the fight to protect and preserve our wild horses and burros.