STOCKING NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS SHEEP RANGE 



19 



weather were available. This habit was evident particularly if there 

 was snow on the ground. A combination of low temperature and 

 high wind sometimes caused the sheep to drift down wind. These 

 observations suggest that rough ranges which provide protection 

 from storms and cold winds should be reserved for winter grazing. 



Influence of Fences 



The fences obstructed to some extent the Datura] movements of the 

 sheep and served as barriers along which grazing use was frequently 

 so concentrated as to do considerable damage to the range (fig. 9). 

 As a result, the pattern of grazing use in each pasture resembled a 

 series of irregular concentric bands ranging from very heavy along 

 the boundary fences to somewhat lighter in the interior of the pas- 

 tures. The Rambouillet sheep instinctively sought the shelter of 

 some sort of barrier for shading up or resting and the fences were 

 selected most frequently. Some of the effects of these instinctive 

 habits on both the ewes and the range could undoubtedly have been 

 avoided if greater care had been used in locating the pasture fences. 

 These experiences indicate that fences complicate the natural move- 

 ment of sheep over the range. Unnecessary or poorly located fences 

 are an obstacle in the proper use and management of typical northern 

 Great Plains range. 



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Figure 9. — The sheep repeatedly rested or shaded up along pasture fences, often 



causing severe damage to the range vegetation. 



