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HELENA, Mont. — A Montana resident paid a $20,000 fine after collecting a sheep’s reproductive material during a guided hunt and selling it to a private ranch owner in Vaughn.
The case traced back to 2019 and centered on Arthur Schubarth, who was sentenced in 2024 to six months in prison for his role in an effort that lasted nearly a decade. Authorities said that effort focused on creating giant sheep hybrids to sell to captive hunting facilities.
NonStop Local spoke with a fish and wildlife ecology and management expert, who said cases like this were uncommon but still raised concerns for conservation in North America.
“We're just struggling to recover bighorn sheep throughout North America, and we don't need these kinds of activities to potentially threaten conservation and recovery of bighorn sheep,” said Doctor Robert Garrott, Montana State University professor of fish and wildlife ecology management.
Montana has about 5,700 bighorn sheep, and Garrott explained that some buyers want animals with larger horns as trophies. He said the chance to profit ...