Taken 9/19, the day before. North herd. There was also plenty of water in the north.
BLM “estimates” that there are 679 wild horses (not counting 2026 foals) in Jackson Mountains. BLM makes no distinction between the north herd population and the south herd (these two herds are separate).
BLM says they are going to remove 500 wild horses.
From BLM website:”The southern portion of the Jackson Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA) is having water and forage shortages due to a large congregation of horses. The demand to the resources from the current population of horses is more than the resource can provide resulting in body condition of horses declining in the area.”
NOTE: Today… BLM began the operation by flying on the north herd.
Repeatedly BLM uses a lack of forage for the south herd to justify removals for the whole HMA. In June of 2012, we shut down a roundup as BLM tried to use a south herd “emergency” (localized in the southeast) to do a helicopter roundup of the entire HMA outside the prohibited foaling season.
These are two distinct populations. In 2012, BLM had to recognize that in the courtroom. Gene Seidlitz, the district manager at the time, said that these deficits would be fixed when the finally did a Herd Management Area Plan (HMAP) and that an AML would be set for north and south. In 2021, BLM just did another gather EA calling all of the issues (like what would be appropriate management of Jackson North and Jackson South) outside the scope of a gather plan.
After putting Jackson on the roundup schedule in May, BLM finally finalized an HMAP… that also fails to analyze the herds based on facts and further mismanages the herd by crafting the HMAP to basically comply with the existing gather EA! (It is supposed to be the other way around.) That is simply not how this is supposed to work. This leaves the actually validity of the plan to sterilize 30% of the herd beyond “not analyzed” based on facts. (In addition they approve experimental and even gruesome and non effective methods in the plan like burning, gluing, scarring, oviducts of mares).
On August 6, BLM approved the HMAP. On August 24, Wild Horse Education took the first step in legal action against BLM’s August 6 HMAP decision and sought a stay. BLM has filed its response. The federal land-use court has not yet ruled.
Wild Horse Education, through legal counsel, also sent BLM a letter raising the ongoing issues. As expected, BLM is proceeding with the operation. But fertility control such as sterilization will not be part of this operation. Through counsel BLM stated this would remain a removal only.
WHE will continue addressing the issues at Jackson Mountain in the courts. The approved plans will stand for more than a decade. Both the so-called HMAP and old gather plan need to be “kicked to the curb.” Neither is based in fact nor analyzed to sustain a viable population.
Official cumulative numbers:
Captured (official count): 505 (230 Stallions, 196 Mares, and 99 Foals)
Shipped: 497 (205 Stallions, 193 Mares, and 99 Foals) (Without any observation allowed at temporary corrals. Horses are being caught, sorted and shipped to the facility in a single day.) Note: Wild horses are being shipped to the off-limits to the public facility in Winnemucca where the Wild Horse & Burro Specialist that wrote the gather plan is the manager,
Deaths: 7. BLM said “20+ y/o, buckskin stallion, chronic, blindness. 20+ y/o, bay, mare, chronic, deformity, knee. 13 y/o, bay mare, chronic, defect, previously fractured fetlock. 20+ y/o, bay, stud BLM said was a “body score 1.” (None of these horses were observed by the public)
The “released” horse listed is a stallion that jumped trap (that could not be seen by observers as trap is over a mile away and behind a hill)
Please be aware, BLM weakened the standards in their CAWP program on June 29th, right before helicopter roundup season began. A veterinarian is no longer required to be onsite.
Taken 9/19, the day before the roundup. North herd.
Newer reports will appear at the top. Please be aware that this page will update frequently as information and clarification come in from the field.
09-28-26
36 (14 Stallions, 16 Mares, 7 Foals) were captured. There continued to be no access to asses handling, no access to see trap, no access to observe sorting. Wild horses were shipped from the range directly to off-limits fcaility.
Access was over two miles from trap.
All of the horses were squeezed out of this area.
Our observer had to move to a road to wait for all loading to occur. As she could not clearly photograph any horse during the entire operation, she waited on the road. Instead, the trailers jumped onto the dirt about 2 miles from where she waited. Extreme effort was made to allow zero meaningful access throughout this operation.
09-27-26
Trap has finally moved. Observation is not about 2 miles from trap. 81 (42 Stallions, 23 Mares, 16 Foals) were captured.
This and fled toward observers.
There were 11 runs. We are continuing to edit and will update with more soon.
We expect operations to end tomorrow.
09-26-26
5th day at this trap where it seems the area is truly being squeezed so none are left. 38 (16 Stallions, 13 Mares, 9 Foals) captured.
Relentless pursuit. These horses ran full tilt for at least 30 minutes.
09-25-26
4th day at this same trap. 40 (16 Stallions, 18 Mares, 6 Foals) captured.
Loading…
09-24-26:
We remain the only members of the public onsite.
40 (16 Stallions, 18 Mares, 6 Foals) captured. Several horses lagged behind. This is the 3rd day at this trap and it appears horses are coming from further away.
09-23-26:
46 (23 Stallions, 16 Mares, 7 Foals) captured. Observation is abysmal. Our team member is the only member of the public onsite. We are loading clips.
09-22-26
44 (16 Stallions, 18 Mares, 10 Foals) captured.
Abysmal access continues at trap. There is not even the opportunity to clear ID a single horse. Not at trap, on trailer and there is zero access to temporary corrals before horses ship off-limits to the private facility run by the wild horse and burro specialist that wrote the gather plan.
put to death: 20+ y/o, sorrel, stud, chronic, BCS 1, unable to maintain or improve, 20+ y/o, sorrel, stud, chronic, BCS 1, unable to maintain or improve, 12 y/o, bay, mare, chronic, blindness
To BLM:
A BCS horse of “1” could not run from a helicopter, it would collapse. No doubt there are thin horses in the south of Jackson as you never addressed critical issues with livestock and water and then gave away more to mining.
As we had to point out at Callaghan, this is a 2 and a 4.
We know there is not vet present but… c’mon.
09-21-26
We are loading video.
Same trap as yesterday. 27 (13 Stallions, 11 Mares, 3 Foals) captured and BLM put down a horse they claimed was a body score 1 (the horse was not viewed by the public).
09-20-26
Trapping began in the north. Trapping did not begin where BLM asserted and hardship in the south.
Unofficial count: 147 captured. 3 died.
Observation was about a mile and a half from trap.
Screenshot
BLM has stated that the target numbers in the area is 300. This is based on estimates from a 2-year old census. This target of 300 is the bulk of the north herd. The last actual census in the area showed a drop in population of nearly 7%. Documented growth in prior years was 10%. But modeling added nearly 18%. You do not have to do the math, but it shows that there is a risk mathematically that the two distinct populations (north and south) will be left below any semblance of viability.
Could the roundup “urgency” really be to get the horses out of the way of all the mining claims in the north and not the “lack of water and forage” in the south? Just asking questions. The so-called HMAP BLM just approved does not include mitigation measures for loss of habitat or water. You would think trying to figure out “multiple use” would be included by an agency that really likes to throw those words around.
Rough overlay map of mining and HMA/HA areas. The reddish lines are Herd Areas; areas designated for horse/burro use but “no longer managed for their use.” Those areas were zeroed out.
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Fifty-five years after Congress declared wild free-roaming horses and burros “fast disappearing from the American scene,” federal agencies are still driving their numbers down on the public lands meant to protect them.
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