The Big Horn’s Visit

The BigHorn Sheep are a common sight in the Rocky Mountains and as one of seven subspecies this group is rightfully named Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. Usually they are not an animal that will patrol and graze through the town of Canmore, like say the Elk do. So it was an odd site to witness this group of sheep on full throttle, to stop dead and hide behind a group of trees right in front of our house. We caught the moment perfectly!

There was no doubt that something was chasing them, as they appeared shell shocked and glared to the direction they came from. Normally we rarely see sheep on this side of the highway.

The other notable observation was this group’s colouring was more white than say the Grotto flocks. My bet is they hale from White Man Gap at the East end of Mount Rundle.

So how and why did they get over here? Odds are pretty good that a hungary bear chased them down the power line right-away which leads from below Ha Ling Peak near White Man Gap right past our front yard. The STAR on the map marks the location of the Sheep and my photos.

And for your information the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep is the provincial mammal of Alberta and the state animal of Colorado and as such is incorporated into the symbol for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Anyway just another Rocky Mountain moment and good reason why you should keep your windows clean!