BLM to begin Bullfrog Herd Management Area wild burro bait and water gather
BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management will begin a wild burro gather on or about April 1, 2026, within and around the Bullfrog Herd Management Area, which surrounds the town of Beatty, in Nye County, Nevada. The removal would mitigate the impacts to public safety and private property issues due to the overpopulation of wild burros.
The BLM plans to gather and remove approximately 500 excess wild burros. The BLM will conduct gather operations using temporary corrals, stocked with water and hay, to bait and trap. No helicopters will be used.
The Bullfrog HMA has 157,180 acres including public and private land. The appropriate management level (AML) range is 58 to 91 wild burros. As of April 2024, the BLM estimated there were approximately1,096 burros in the HMA. An emergency gather in October removed 246 wild burros.
The purpose of the gather is to prevent undue or unnecessary degradation of the public lands associated with excess wild burros and to restore a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-use relationship on public lands, consistent with the provisions of Section 1333(b) of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. This action is also necessary to reduce public safety concerns along U.S. Highway 95 as well as private property adjacent to Bullfrog HMA.
BLM’s priority is to conduct safe and efficient wild burro gathers by exercising humane care and treatment for each animal. The BLM and its contractors will use the best available science and handling practices for wild burros in accordance with the Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program.
Removed animals will be transported to the Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Corrals in Trona, California, checked by a veterinarian, and prepped for the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Adoption and Sale Program.
Due to the nature of the bait and water trap method, wild burros are reluctant to approach the trap site when there is too much activity; therefore, only essential gather operations personnel will be allowed at the trap site during gather operations.
The BLM is conducting its gather based according to Environmental Assessment, DOI-BLM-NV-B020-2024-0046-EA. The public can view the Decision Record and Determination of NEPA Adequacy at the Bullfrog Herd Management Area ePlanning Site.
Daily gather reports and additional information will be posted on the 2026 Bullfrog HMA Gather webpage.
For more information, contact the Battle Mountain District Wild Horse and Burro Specialist, Aimee Bollinger, at (775) 635-4187.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.