Determinants Of Desert Bighorn Sheep Use of Low-Elevation Wildlife Waters: Implications For Strategic Placement and Prioritization

Free-standing water is a critical resource for desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana) but can be limited spatially and temporally. Low-elevation artificial water catchments (AWCs) may provide a sustainable management strategy by facilitating efficient monitoring, maintenance, and emergency water delivery; however, factors influencing desert sheep use of these developments remain poorly understood. We evaluated temporal patterns and environmental and anthropogenic drivers of water source visitation by 16 restocked desert bighorn sheep (9 F, 7 M) translocated to Caborca, Mexico from 2022 to 2023. Relative water use (days visited/30 d) was greatest during the resource-limited (29 May-22 July; 15.3 d) and resource-stress (23 July-21 August; 26.4 d) seasons. During the resource-stress season, 62% of daily visits occurred at 1400 and 1700 h. Relative water use was greater closer to escape terrain (4-fold increase from 700 to 0 m), with increasing mean NDVI (8-fold increase from 0.07 to 0.10), and in areas with lower road density (22-fold increase from 0.007 to 0 m/m²). We recommend strategically placing low-elevation AWCs in locations that maintain greenness, with limited road access, and escape terrain available in multiple directions to facilitate predator evasion.