Bighorn Sheep Hunts

Bighorn Sheep hunts have been very popular for many thousand years, since our ancestors learnt to make weapon. In pristine time, hunting didn’t influence the population of the Bighorn Sheep much, because humans hunted only for food and could not kill many animals at a time with their primitive arrows and spears. It was very difficult to kill a Bighorn Sheep in the mountains or in the desert. Native Americans admire Bighorn Sheep for their sure feet, keen eyes, and great strength. They hunt these animals for meat and use their horns in ceremonies.

Bighorn Sheep hunts with firearms of the late 19th century put the species on the brink of extinction. From the 1850s to the 1900s the population of the Bighorn Sheep diminished from 1.5-2 million to 15,000-18,000. These beautiful animals were hunted not only for meat, but for their pelts and horns. Trophy hunting was a popular sport of that time. In the early 1900s, hunting Bighorn Sheep was banned or controlled in many areas. Still, illegal poaching occurred.

Bighorn Sheep hunts and poaching was not the only threat to their population. Another serious problem was domestic sheep and cattle brought to the New World by Europeans. Introduced livestock had infectious diseases to which native animals had no resistance. Introduced pneumonia is responsible for periodical die-offs of the Bighorn Sheep. Besides, domestic cattle competed with wild animals for grazing places and water sources. Many human activities influence the population of the Bighorn Sheep, such as mining, road building, and depletion of water sources. Nowadays, it’s illegal to hunt Bighorn Sheep in many areas within their range. They attract eco-tourists who want to watch Bighorn Sheep in their natural habitat.

Though the population of Bighorn Sheep is considered to be of lower risk, some unique subspecies are endangered or vulnerable. For instance, California Bighorn Sheep is endangered and the subspecies that inhabited the Black Hills is already extinct. The main threat for the present-day population of the Bighorn Sheep is poaching and trophy hunting. In many Bighorn Sheep hunts, the dominant males are killed because of their large horns.