A large, grayish-brown sheep with a distinct whitish rump patch. Males
(rams) larger; up to 300 pounds, having horns which sweep back and
down and finally, in older rams, curling forward. Females (ewes) weigh
up to 175 pounds, with smaller horns pointing backward with slight
curvature. Ewe horns have a vague resemblance to the mountain goat
horns, but there are no wild goats in the southern Rocky Mountains.
Mountain sheep are also called bighorns.
No other animal of the Rockies is so symbolic of the wild, rugged
grandeur of the Western mountain peaks as the mountain sheep. While they
graze on sweet summer grasses and flowers of the alpine meadows and
slopes, at 12,000 or more feet altitude, they are truly kings of all the
vast domain they survey. They are all the more precious in the sanctuary
of Rocky Mountain National Park. It is possible to drive up Trail Ridge
Road and if one is ambitious, continue on foot up several miles of
tundra slope to see one of the finest animal creatures placed on our
planet. There are few places in this country where access to the high
mountain peaks and sight of the bighorn is as easy.
[Illustration: Deer Fawn]
[Illustration: Mountain Sheep Rams]
The ewes bear their lambs singly, among the crags and rocky basins high
above timberline, in late spring. After a few weeks they congregate in
small flocks along with the yearlings (and sometimes young rams) to
spend the summer in thin-aired solitude. The older rams keep by
themselves, alone or in smaller bands. When the winter winds and snows
begin whirling around the lofty peaks, the sheep seek refuge in
protected cliffs and timber, or even move to lower valleys. The mating
or rutting season occurs in November, accompanied by terrific battles
among the rams for their harems. The opponents race at each other,
leaping into the air for the final, powerful crash of horns, which may
be heard a mile away. After a number of such encounters, the smaller or
weaker sheep gives up and walks away. The skulls of rams are well
adapted to the terrible beating they take in battle. The top front of
the skull is double, having a layer of bone, then a space, then another
layer of bone surrounding the brain case. In addition, the rams have a
one-inch or more layer of shock-absorbing cartilage on the skull in back
of the horns, joining the head and the backbone. Ram horns are not lost
each year as are the antlers of deer and elk. Rather, they furnish a
good indication of the age of the sheep, as they add a definite ridge or
ring to the horn in its lengthening growth each fall season.
Bighorn bands have been observed recently in the following areas during
the summer: The Never Summer Range, the Mummy Range, Flattop Mountain
and peaks in vicinity, MacGregor Mountain, Specimen Mountain, Mount Ida
and Sheep Rock, and on the crests near Trail Ridge Road above
timberline. The small bands of sheep in the Park will shift with the
season and with the year, but the last three named areas probably offer
the easiest opportunity for viewing them. Sheep are usually on the move
and feeding only in the very early morning hours and evening hours,
often bedding down in secluded places in late morning and early
afternoon. When stalking them, keep in mind that bighorn's eyes are
exceptionally sharp and capable of detecting a moving human up to two
miles away. If you can spot them first with a field glass and then keep
out of sight until near them, your chances of a good view are much
improved.