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Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking the public’s help to locate a hybrid bighorn ewe reported missing from a private livestock facility near Vaughn. Officials warn that contact with wild sheep could pose a disease risk; it remains unclear whether the ewe escaped or was moved elsewhere.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is asking the public to help find a hybrid female bighorn sheep reported missing from a private livestock facility near Vaughn, warning that contact with wild sheep could carry disease risks. The facility is owned by Jack Schubarth, who pleaded guilty in 2024 to federal wildlife-trafficking offenses connected to cloning and breeding sheep.
In a Sept. 18 public alert, the department described the ewe as weighing about 120 pounds, primarily white and wearing a red ear tag. FWP said it was concerned the animal could come into contact with wild bighorn sheep in the area. Domestic sheep can carry pathogens that may fatally infect wild sheep, the agency’s alert said.
According to FWP public information officer Dave Hagengruber, the animal was reportedly missing on Sept. 2, but wardens learned of the matter the following week. Wardens spoke with Schubarth in mid-September. He told them the ewe may have escaped over a fence damaged by wind or through a gate left open, Hagengruber said.
Schubarth has been charged in Cascade County District Court with failing to report an escape from his permitted commercial wildlife operation. The permit requires owners to report escapes to FWP and the Montana Department of Livestock within 48 hours, according to the report. The charge is separate from his 2024 federal case.
Disease Risk to Wild Bighorns
The search matters because a sheep from a captive facility could encounter wild herds, which are vulnerable to infections carried by domestic sheep. FWP specifically cited that risk in its public alert; the agency has not said the missing ewe is known to be infected or that any wild sheep have been exposed.
Hagengruber told Outdoor Life that wild bighorn groups live within potential range of the facility, including in the Cascade area and the Birdtail Hills. The Rocky Mountain Front, home to a major Montana bighorn herd, is farther away. The animal’s location and movements have not been confirmed, so the level of immediate risk is not known.
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Schubarth’s Sheep-Breeding Case
The missing ewe reportedly came from the same facility where Schubarth bred sheep descended from a cloned Marco Polo argali, a large wild sheep native to Central Asia. In 2024, Schubarth pleaded guilty to violating the federal Lacey Act in a scheme involving genetic material smuggled from Kyrgyzstan and the cloning of a ram he called the Montana Mountain King. He later bred offspring from that animal with captive bighorn ewes, according to the report.
Montana outfitter John Lewton, who assisted in the scheme by supplying genetic material from trophy bighorns, was sentenced in federal court in Billings the week before the Outdoor Life report. He received a $20,000 fine and one year of probation, and was barred from guiding or outfitting hunters during that period. The current state charge against Schubarth concerns the alleged failure to report the ewe’s escape, not the federal cloning case.
““According to our records, the ewe in question reportedly escaped on Sept. 2, and our game wardens heard about it the next week.””
— Dave Hagengruber, FWP public information officer in Great Falls
Where the Ewe May Be
It has not been confirmed that the ewe is still roaming free. Sources who spoke to Outdoor Life speculated that she may have been sold to an out-of-state game farm, but they described that possibility as unconfirmed. No sale or destination has been established in the reporting.
Officials have not announced a sighting, recovery, or test results for the animal. It is also unclear whether she has come into contact with wild sheep. Schubarth’s account of a possible wind-damaged fence or open gate has not been independently confirmed.
Public Reports and State Case
FWP is seeking reports from people who may see the ewe, identified by her white coloring and red ear tag. The department has not provided a confirmed recovery date or described any further search measures in the cited report.
The state charge will proceed through Cascade County District Court. The available reporting does not give a hearing date or say how Schubarth has responded to the charge. Whether the animal is found, and whether investigators establish how she left the facility, remain the key developments to watch.
Key Questions
What happened to the hybrid bighorn sheep?
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks says a hybrid ewe was reported missing from a private facility near Vaughn. Officials have asked the public to report sightings, but her location has not been confirmed.
How can the ewe be identified?
FWP described her as weighing about 120 pounds, primarily white and wearing a red ear tag.
Why are officials concerned about wild sheep?
FWP says domestic sheep can carry pathogens that may fatally infect wild bighorns. Officials have not reported that this ewe is infected or that contact with a wild herd has occurred.
Who owns the facility?
The facility is owned by Jack Schubarth, who pleaded guilty in 2024 to federal Lacey Act violations related to cloning and breeding sheep. He has also been charged in Montana over an alleged failure to report the missing animal within the required period.
Has the sheep been sold or recovered?
Neither outcome has been confirmed in the cited report. Sources speculated that she might have been sold to an out-of-state game farm, but that possibility remains unverified.
Source: outdoorlife.com
