Date set for Pine Nut horse roundup

A roundup of wild horses in the Pine Nuts is expected to start around Nov. 20, according to information released by the Bureau of Land Management.

The agency will gather wild horses within the Pine Nut management area so that approximately 45 mares can be treated with Porcine Zona Pellucida, a two-year fertility control vaccine, to slow herd reproduction and reduce the number of excess wild horses that would need to be removed in the future.

Horses gathered from within the area, which is located in the northern Pine Nuts with only a small portion of northern Douglas County, will all be released back where they were gathered. There are also about 67 wild horses residing outside of the area's boundaries, including 12-20 horses in a mix of public and private lands in the Fish Springs area.

The rest of the 67 horses residing outside of the management area are primarily in the Buckskin Range in northeastern Douglas County overlooking Artesia Lake. These horses will be gathered and removed. The gather is expected to be completed in five to seven days.

The public is invited to watch the gathers, but since the location of specific gather trap sites and temporary corrals may not be known until as little as 12 hours in advance, BLM will provide an escort at 6:30 a.m. each morning of gather operations to guide interested parties to the designated observation area for each day's operation.

All site observers must have their own four-wheel drive vehicles with high clearance and spare tires. The temporary holding corrals and trap sites are usually very remote with limited access roads and possibly adverse weather conditions. Observers should be prepared to walk cross-county for up to a mile to each day's designated observation area.

Gather site dates are subject to change depending upon weather and gather operations. A wild horse gather information line has been set up at 885-6101 where the public can listen to a recorded message with information on daily gather activities and updated gather schedules.

For more information, contact Mark Struble, BLM Carson City District Public Affairs Officer, at 885-6107 or mark_struble@blm.gov.