Two centuries ago the bighorns roamed the free ranges of the West, favoring steep terrain and rugged mountainous landscapes, they numbered in the millions. By 1900 due to over-hunting and disease they had declined to numbers in the thousands, by 1906 no herds existed in New Mexico. In an effort to restore the balance to the nature of the West the Game and Fish department stepped in to restore this iconic mountain animal. In 1932 they started releasing herds of bighorns, and now around 900 sheep call New Mexico home. In Taos Bighorns can be found both high above the timberline in the ski valley and Wheeler peak area, as well as the cliffs hugging the Rio Grande Gorge.
Bighorn sheep are easily distinguishable from domestic sheep breeds; they are not covered with wool but instead with a thick brown coat and a white fluffy rear. They are larger than domestic sheep with males (called rams) weighing in around 200 to 300lbs and the females, called ewes weighing around 130 to 200lbs. The most stunning feature they sport of course would be their horns, the males can have huge curling horns measured around 35 to 40 inches in length that can weigh up to 30lbs! The ewes also have horns, though short and small and only slightly curled. Unlike deer or elk their horns do not shed every season, instead they just continue to grow throughout their lifetime. These impressive apparatuses are used mostly by the rams during mating season to fight one another for females, luckily they have very thick reinforced skulls that leave them battle-ready for charging each other at speeds up to 30mph! These animals also have excellent eyesight, used for judging distances to jump from boulder to rock on steep terrain, and to keep an eye out for predators. The elastic pads on their feet act as shock absorbers while their hooves have cups in the middle to help them grip the rock as they athletically jump up to 20 feet!
The Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep is a grazing herbivore, browsing grass, willows and shrubs. Like cows they regurgitate their food and chew it again before digestion. A bit like a camel they can live on very little water, gathering H2O from snow and vegetation. The sheep are most active during the day day and live in herds: females, lambs, and adolescent rams will travel together foraging for food, while young rams can often be seen in bachelor groups or as solitary travelers. During the mating season, around October to December, the mature rams will join the females. Rams will breed several ewes, though ewes will generally not submit to breeding until they are about 2 years old. Lambs are born 6 months later in June to July and they can traverse the rocky cliffs with their mothers in just a few days after birth!
Due to habitat infringement and mountain lion predation the herds of Northern New Mexico especially the low altitude populations congregating around the Rio Grande Gorge have been threatened, and the state is still working hard on their transplant programs.
Riding down the river is an excellent opportunity to see these magnificent animals, these symbols of the West. They are habituated to seeing boats and are less likely to flee from a raft then from humans on foot or in a car. Hunting of the Bighorn sheep is closely managed, and anti-poaching laws are strictly enforced.
One must always be on the look out for sheep in the woods and on the river! Though the rams inspiring, and the lambs painfully cute, these are not domesticated animals and should be treated as such. Never attempt to get too close or to touch a Bighorn sheep, they are wild animals and will defend themselves. Thanks to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish for their efforts in bringing this important animal back to our lovely river!
More information on Bighorn Sheep can be found at:
http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/conservation/bighorn/
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| A young Bighorn Lamb |
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| A Rocky Mountain Bighorn Ewe |
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| Bighorn Rams in all their glory! |
More information on the afore mentioned Middle Box Funyak Adventure can be found at:
http://losriosriverrunners.com/middle-box-full-day
Photos from http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/conservation/bighorn/
Together, we can make reintroduction possible!
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