Description

The family Ovis has five species and numerous subspecies, from the domestic sheep to the wild Bharal of the Himalayas. But most North American hunters focus on the Big Four, as recognized by Boone & Crockett: Dall’s Sheep, Stone’s Sheep, the Rocky Mountain Bighorn, and the Desert Bighorn. Wild sheep inhabitant the highest, steepest, most remote mountains in North America. They make for one of the most physically demanding hunts around. Dall’s Sheep range in most of Alaska’s mountains, and into the Yukon and parts of British Columbia. Stone’s Sheep range through isolated pockets of eastern Alaska, the Yukon and northwest British Columbia. Whereas the Dall’s has a remarkable white coat, the Stone’s has dark gray overtones and has been described as “a Dall’s sheep in evening dress.” Rocky Mountain Bighorns, the largest wild sheep in North America, can be found as far south as New Mexico, up through the mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, and into British Columbia and Alberta. The Desert Bighorn calls the American Southwest and Baja California home. Many consider wild sheep hunting a true “bucket list” experience. Yet due to their numbers and distribution, it can take a lifetime of acclimated game points to pursue them. But it is possible to secure outfitter tags in parts of Canada. These trips require bush flights into remote mountainsides and 7- to 14-day hunts. Not for the faint of heart, those who hunt sheep say there’s nothing more rewarding.