2024 Caliente Complex Bait and Water Trap Wild Horse Gather
Purpose of Gather:
The purpose of the gather is to prevent undue or unnecessary degradation of the public lands associated with excess wild horses 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. Removing excess animals would also enable significant progress toward achieving the Standards for Rangeland Health identified by the Mojave-Southern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council.
Details of Gather:
The BLM will conduct gather operations using temporary bait and water traps consisting of a series of corral panels stocked with hay and water; no helicopters will be used. The BLM plans to gather and remove up to 350 excess wild horses. Once gather operations are completed, approximately 672 wild horses will remain in the Complex. The gather is expected to last approximately 183 days.
Public Observation:
Due to the nature of the bait and water trap method, wild horses 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.
Adoption Information:
Horses identified for removal will be transported to the Axtell off-range corrals, in Axtell, Utah; Delta Wild Horse and Burro Facility, in Delta, Utah; and Sutherland off-range corrals, in Sutherland, Utah. Upon arrival to the facility, all animals will be checked by a veterinarian and readied for the BLM’s wild horse and burro Adoption and Sales Program. Those that are not placed into a new home will be cared for in off-range pastures, where they live off the rest of their lives on grass pastures. For information on how to adopt a wild horse, visit www.blm.gov/whb.
Background:
The Caliente Complex is located within the Ely District and managed by the Caliente Field Office. The Complex is within a forty-mile radius of the town of Caliente, in Lincoln County, Nev., and encompasses approximately 911,892 acres of BLM-managed and private and other lands from Panaca, Nev., south to the Mormon Mountains at the Clark County line and from Delamar Valley east to the Utah state line. The Complex consists of nine HAs.
The area is within the Great Basin physiographic region characterized by a high, rolling plateau underlain by basalt flows covered with a thin loess and alluvial mantle. On many of the low hills and ridges that are scattered throughout the area, the soils are underlain by bedrock. Elevations within the Caliente Complex range from approximately 4,000 to 9,500 feet. Annual precipitation ranges from approximately 7 inches on some of the valley bottoms to 20 inches on the mountain peaks. Most of this precipitation comes during the winter and spring months in the form of snow, supplemented by localized thunderstorms during the summer months. Temperatures range from greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. The area is also utilized by numerous wildlife species and domestic livestock under terms and conditions outlined in grazing permits.
The BLM manages the Complex for zero wild horses due to insufficient forage and water to sustain healthy and viable herds long-term. An estimated 1,022 wild horses currently reside within the Complex.
The BLM is conducting the gather under the DOI-BLM-NV-L030-2017-0031-EA Caliente Herd Area Complex Wild Horse Final Environmental Assessment signed on April 27, 2018. Access the Decision Record and determination of National Environmental Policy Act adequacy at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/93276/510.
For more information on the Wild Horse and Burro Program, call 1-866-468-7826 or email wildhorse@blm.gov
- Daily Gather Reports
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Friday, April 26
Summary: Rain with a low of 42 and high of 52
Animals Gathered: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Shipped: 14 (8 Stallions, 4 Mares, and 2 Foals)
Animals Released: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Thursday, April 25
Summary: Partly sunny with a low of 42 and high of 65
Animals Gathered: 12 (8 Stallions, 3 Mares, and 1 Foal)
Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Released: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Wednesday, April 24
Summary: Mostly sunny with a low of 46 and high of 73
Animals Gathered: 8 (3 Stallions, 3 Mares, and 2 Foals)
Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Released: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Tuesday, April 23
Summary: Mostly sunny with a low of 47 and high of 77
Animals Gathered: 4 (1 Stallion, 3 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Released: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Monday, April 22
Summary: Mostly sunny with a low of 48 and high of 79
Animals Gathered: 5 (3 Stallions, 1 Mare, and 1 Foal)
Animals Shipped: 20 (10 Stallions, 6 Mares, and 4 Foals)
Animals Released: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Deaths: 1
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 1
12-year-old, Bay stud humanely euthanized due to blindness (missing right eye).
Sunday, April 21
Summary: Mostly sunny with a low of 45 and high of 81
Animals Gathered: 13 (6 Stallions, 4 Mares, and 3 Foals)
Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Released: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Saturday, April 20
Summary: Mostly sunny with a low of 44 and high of 72
Animals Gathered: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Shipped: 26 (14 Stallions, 8 Mares, and 4 Foals)
Animals Released: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Friday, April 19
Summary: Mostly sunny with a low of 44 and high of 72
Animals Gathered: 9 (4 Stallions, 4 Mares, and 1 Foals)
Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Released: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Thursday, April 18
Summary: Mostly sunny with a low of 44 and high of 72
Animals Gathered: 22 (11 Stallions, 8 Mares, and 3 Foals)
Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Released: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Deaths: 2
- Sudden / Acute: 1
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 1
8-year-old, Palomino mare unexpectedly died, fractured neck.
3-year-old, White mare humanely euthanized due to blindness in left eye.
Wednesday, April 17
Summary: Mostly sunny with a low of 42 and high of 77
Animals Gathered: 13 (5 Stallions, 8 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Shipped: 36 (10 Stallions, 22 Mares, and 4 Foals)
Animals Released: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Tuesday, April 16
Summary: Mostly sunny with a low of 43 and high of 72
Animals Gathered: 29 (8 Stallions, 17 Mares, and 4 Foals)
Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Animals Released: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Deaths: 0
- Sudden / Acute: 0
- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0
Gather Status
As of April 26
Animals Gathered: 115 Wild Horses (49 Stallions, 51 Mares, and 15 Foals)
Animals Shipped: 96 Wild Horses (42 Stallions, 40 Mares, and 14 Foals)
Animals Released: 0 Wild Horses (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)
Deaths: 3
-Sudden / Acute: 1
-Pre-existing / Chronic: 2
Scroll to the bottom of this gather page for detailed “Daily Gather Reports"