Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Sierra Nevada Big Horn Sheep

A friend sent me some pics of mountain sheep or goats that were amazing: http://tinyurl.com/24cbcg7

I googled Sierra sheep and found out about the Sierra Nevada Big Horn Sheep and the three herds that are close to the Whitney area. Does anyone on the WPS Msg. Brd. have pictures of the animals in the Langley, Williamson, or Baxter herds?

What a fascinating creature to survive such extremes in nature and to be actually making a comeback from near extinction.

Great photos. Here's a site on the differences between Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goats:

http://www.carnivoraforum.com/index.cgi?...mp;page=1#61431

The Sierra Bighorn have a really interesting history. They were thought extinct as a result of domestic sheep disease from the 1800s (pneumonia) and hunting. However some were sighted in the Rae Lakes area in the 20s and were also seen near Evolution Creek in the 30s. They have very slowly recovered and were declared endangered about 10 (??) years ago, allowing for a coordinated recovery plan.

It's rare, but definitely possible, to see rams in the Rae Lakes and 60 Lakes area starting around September. Increasingly, sheep are being seen around Langley through the summer. The Williamson group is pretty elusive and not seen. Much of what is known about their numbers are from DNA analysis of scat rather than direct sightings.

If you see Bighorn -- and especially ewes and lambs -- send your observation (and photos!) in to the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation (below) or, if in Sequoia Kings or Yosemite, tell a ranger.



Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation

Good News for Sierra Sheep

Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep, a Brief History
http://sierranaturenotes.com/naturenotes/BighornSheep.htm

Thanks,

George

seen July 2007 at Mono Pass (the one near Tioga) , Harvey

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Thank you, George, for the links to more information on this subject. Perhaps, many of the photos I posted were of mountain goats. I hope the current programs work in increasing their populations to the pre-John Muir times.

Also, thanks to Lankford for the great photo on Mono Pass.

I saw tons of Bighorn and mountain goats while hiking in Montana two years ago, all throughout Glacier National Park. Have never seen any in the Sierras. I've read there is still a large herd in the mountains over Palm Springs in Socal.

I've yet to see any Bighorn sheep in the Sierra, but I see them fairly often in the Mt. Baldy area.

This fella (and a few others) was laying right on the trail at the Baldy/Harwood saddle last year...

Looking up to the western ridge of Split, from the Split-Prater saddle last summer:




A large herd was spotted on the southern slopes of Mt. Langley last fall, and my friend Sara and I caught glimpses of a small herd just above the Tungsten Mine in Pine Creek just a few weeks ago (didn't have my camera and those buggers moved too fast anyway).

Barely a sign of them (droppings) in the George Creek drainage this past weekend, however.

I've never seen a live one, but I found a big skull in Little Cottonwood Creek on my way back from Wonoga Peak in the summer of 2007.

I saw the Mt Langley herd back in '02. Looked to be about a dozen or so at that time.

In June 2007 i saw a huge herd of Bighorn Sheep on White Mountain. Rams, ewes and lambs. I stopped counting at 24. I knew at that moment that i was seeing something i would probably never see again, especially since i did not have a camera. But i have the memory. Priceless is the moment one ram turned and looked at me with the snow capped Sierra behind in the distance.

Last fall on Ontario Peak on the San Gabriel Mountains, i saw three rams. Just like on White Mountain they seem very peaceful and do not run like deer. Both times i was able to stand there and watch for at least 10 minutes as they calmly walked around, ate grass and scratched the ground looking for food.





I talked with someone once that said they saw sheep by Consultation Lake. What a Whitney experience that must have been!

There are at least 100 Big Horn sheep in the Wheeler Ridge area north of Bishop. A good place to see them is from the Pine Creek trail-head parking lot. Best seen with high-powered optics. If you go there, please do not attempt to approach them; they are very easily spooked. Unfortunately, some rock climbers and boulderers have been getting too close to them, in the climber's efforts to find new challenges.

Last Summer and Fall there was a group of about 20 ewes about 200 yards above the mine road, and a few rams. And a further group of 16 rams spent the Winter together in another part of Wheeler Ridge.