Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis)

Size

• Bighorns are the largest of all North American wild sheep.
• Adult rams weigh up to 135 kilograms (300 pounds), but adult ewes are much smaller, averaging 70 kilograms (150 pounds).

Appearance

• Bighorn sheep are brown to greyish brown in colour, with light underparts and an obvious, light rump patch. Muzzle is white.
• Bighorn rams have distinctive, large, spiralled horns. Ewes and young rams have spike-like, curved horns.
• All bighorn sheep have soft hooves with hard outer rims that give them good footing on precarious ledges.
• The two parts of a bighorn's hoof are not independently movable. Thus, bighorns are not as agile as mountain goats on difficult terrain, though they can move quickly over rocky mountain slopes when alarmed.

• Bighorn sheep populations range from the southwest Alberta and west-central British Columbia alpine regions east through Montana and south through California and New Mexico to northern Mexico.

Habitat

• Bighorns spend their summers high in the alpine zone on grass-covered slopes.
• In winter, bighorn sheep may migrate a considerable distance to reach south or southwest-facing slopes where snow cover is minimal.

Food

• Bighorn sheep graze on grasses and forbs. They may also browse on alpine willows.
• They make frequent use of mineral or salt licks.

Breeding Behaviour

• The rut occurs from November to December.
• Lambs are born the following spring.

Status

Bighorn sheep are classified as Secure in the General Status of Alberta Wild Species report. See:

• General Status of Alberta Wild Species

Current Management

Hunting

See details in the Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations. To view the guide online or to order a printed copy, visit the My Wild Alberta website at:

• Hunting: Regulations