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Show Page 8A. SPECIAL SECTION. LEADER-GARLAN- D TIMES. February 17. 1977 Choumoses keep business operation in the family Sam Chournos of Tremon-to- n has been ranging sheep all his life. "I guess I got into the business through my father, Nick. It's the only life I've known," Chournos grinned. Danny and Steve, two of his sons that help out in the operation, apparently like the sheepman's way of life, too. Together, the three of them run 4,000 head. ' We have three main herds. Dan handles one herd down in the Monte Cristo area and Steve runs a couple in Wyoming," Chournos said. "We have four summer allotments but we always rest one," he added. The Forest Service charges him $1,000 plus $10 per head to summer the animals. "Right now they are on the winter range over by Promontory. The bucks are separated from the sheep and they since WW II. Scientists are currently experimenting with blending the two, but Sam Chournos says, "I'd much rather have wool. It might cost more, but it's a heck of a lot warmer and it will last way longer." When the shearing is completed, the sheep are taken to the lambing grounds. Here they will lamb out within 35 days and go through the most critical phase of the complex operation. "There's not much we can do to help, just put out some salt and watch them," confessed the sheepman. It is during lambing when the young are susceptible to storms, disease and predators that the sheepmen take their biggest loss. "We lose from 10 to 12 percent a year, and 90 percent of our loss is from predators," Chournos are grazing," Chournos moaned. "I've seen coyotes chase the ewes down and eat pointed out. In April the the unborn lambs right out sheep will be sheared right of them. They will always go at Rosebud (winter range) for the young,-th- ey by a commercial shearing prefer the tender meat," he added. outfit. This, is the busiest Since the government outtime on a sheep outfit. lawed the use of poisons for "We usually get from 10 to 11 pounds of wool per head. predator control in 1972, the It is sold to places like Utah sheepman's main defense Wool Marketing, R. C. Eliot . against the predator that & Co., and Western Wool threatens his livelihood has been the airplane or helicopGrowers, Inc.," Chournos ter. said. "We will probably get "We've taken the helicop4,400 pounds this spring and sell for around 72 cents per ter out to the desert twice this year already to stop the pound, which is the government support price." killing," informed Chour"It's been 72 cents per nos. We still need to use poison pound for years," Chournos in the high country where it howled. "We need at least $1 is dangerous to fly," he per pound now, with the way our overhead has gone up." noted. Most sheepmen have Chournos figures the price been using 1080 since 1946 to of gas and oil will be recombat the problem and sponsible for bringing many some feel poisons are still necessary. people back to using wool " . irom the synthetics that are "Coyotes are smart derived from petroleum. enough to survive anything, -tThe wool market has been hey will always be around. We've been killing them for competing with synthetics I racial AI.'.DICA An fqucf Opportunity Employer ..NICK, SAM, STEVE and Dan Chournos along with their kids make up four generations of sheepman. ft 'Lfc Ann Mus Asst. to 1 Joe Oroj Boilenru Salt Lake Don Car Shirl Ols Vonnie E Marvin h Al Heddc Switchm "J. C"W |