Conservation Project - Bighorn Sheep in Big Creek
Summary: An annual conservation project of the Chilcotin Ark Institute is our California Bighorn sheep survey. This is my experiences with scouting for sheep in the Big Creek area for data collection, monitoring and to inform our wildlife management decisions.
Whilst riding in the Big Creek Provincial Park, north of the South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park, Kevan and I took the opportunity to scout for California Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis californiana). The Chilcotin Ark Institute’s (CAI) goal is to conserve the Chilcotin Ark into the future. One of the ways this goal is achieved is by recording the numbers of animals seen in the area. We did this with population counts and recording the wildlife observed by CAI’s partner, Wilderness Trails who frequently rides in the area.
During our sheep survey conservation project, Kevan and I filled out wildlife sightings forms with our observations as we do on every trip into the mountains. We recorded the date and time we saw the sheep (and other wildlife), the location, number of individuals and age and sex if we could determine it. We also made notes about the habitat and behaviour as well as how far away the animal was from us. The details recorded on the sheet allow us to identify the sheep herds and ensure there is no double counting, which gives us an accurate representation of how many animals are in the area.
In Wilderness Trails’ 6000km2 eco-tourism territory, where the majority of CAI’s work is carried out, there are currently two groups of Bighorn sheep, each numbering around 150 individuals. The first group range in the Shulaps Mountains, in the east of our territory, the second in the Big Creek area, in the north. However, this herd migrates across the boundary of the South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park and Big Creek Provincial Park. This provides an additional challenge for us recording the numbers as Big Creek is in Region 5, whereas the South Chilcotins is Region 3, meaning different government officials control the area. The sheep, of course, pay no attention to the boundary line, crossing it as they please. It was in the Big Creek area that Kevan and I would be focusing our sheep population survey conservation project this time.
When scouting for the sheep, we first searched an area using our binoculars. Although mountain goats stand out clearly on the rocks with their bright white coats, Bighorn sheep are brown and well camouflaged to their surroundings, even at a close distance, they were difficult to spot with the naked eye. Each species have different areas of a habitat they prefer to occupy. Sheep are usually found higher up on mountain sides. They will graze on patches of grass more than half way up the slope and will make their beds above rocky outcrops. This gives them an excellent view of their surroundings so they can identify approaching predators or threats. During the day, between approximately 10am and 4pm, the wind blows up the mountain side, meaning any sounds or scents are easy for the sheep to detect sitting on their rocks. If the sheep are threatened, they will move uphill towards the skyline, this gives them a better vantage point, with nothing above them, all sensory information will blow up the hill towards them, this is their safest position.
When moving across mountains, the sheep often use the same trails which become well defined in the mountain sides. To find the sheep, we look for fresh tracks on the trails or across the mountains, sometimes it’s possible to follow fresh tracks with our binoculars all the way to where the sheep are sitting or grazing. As the sheep blend into their surroundings so well, it is easier to find the tracks, which allows us to see if there are sheep in the area, before searching for well-hidden Bighorns.
In the Big Creek area, we could easily use tracks to determine the presence of sheep as goats aren’t present in this area. Seeing a track told us there were sheep in the area.
By putting all of our sheep knowledge into action, Kevan and I were able to observe four Bighorn rams grazing on the Cluckata Ridge. First, we found only one sheep. Although the sheep are mostly brown, they have white butts, if they are facing away from us, they are easier to spot against the rock of the mountains. We quickly identified this sheep as a ram using the spotting scope. Rams and ewes both have horns, but ewes’ are shorter and more spiked. Rams’ horns are curled into a spiral. Their horns are constantly growing, and at around 6-8 years of age become full-curl. However, as the horns continue to grow, the tips are often broken off, meaning the ram becomes ‘three-quarter-curl’. The horns will grow back, so an old sheep can become full-curl again. The annuli rings on a ram’s horns, can be used to age it. Each year, during the mating season a new ring is formed. This is a stress-point as the ram is focused on mating, not on grazing and obtaining the right nutrients, which causes a ring to form in the horn.
As we watched this first ram graze using the spotting scope, we were able to identify two more in the same area. We continued to observe them and then realized there was a fourth ram away to the left. The distance was too great to count the annuli rings, but we could see two were full curl.
It was early September, at this time of year, the rams and ewes live separately, which meant the ewes wouldn’t be near these rams. The mating season happens in November, so in two months the rams and ewes would come into the same area, but for now, they could be a mile apart. We had found twelve sheep beds at the top of a rock bluff across the valley earlier in the scout so we knew they would all belong to rams. And that meant there were eight more rams in the area, hidden behind rocks, in gullies or over ridges. They could be right their with those four rams, just out of sight.
In the Big Creek area earlier on in our sheep survey conservation project, we found a herd of thirty-one ewes and lambs, with about half of the group being lambs. This is the expected scenario where each ewe has a single lamb. This was good news for herd recruitment and future population numbers. This is why it is so important we record the age and sex of the sheep, not just their numbers. A group of thirty-one could seem like a good number, but until we determined how many were lambs, we couldn’t know for sure anything about the population health.
Observing the group dynamics of the herds was fascinating. As the ewes and lambs moved across the mountain sides, grazing, there was always a lead ewe who would guide them. The lambs would run and play, returning to their mothers to feed. Sometimes the ewes would let them feed, most times, they would push them away, the lambs were being weaned onto eating grass, but they seemed reluctant to make this move.
Another day during our sheep survey conservation project, we observed a group of eight ewes appear on the skyline, they’d felt threatened by something and had moved to a safer area, keeping high up so they could sense their environment. However, the four rams Kevan and I were looking at now, knowing they were in no danger, had grazed contentedly the entire time we observed them.
During this sheep survey conservation project, we had seen a total of forty-three sheep, and the presence of their beds meant we knew there were at least eight more in the area. I was very appreciative for the opportunity to contribute to conservation and deepen my knowledge about California Bighorn sheep while riding through their mountainous habitat.
We can never know for sure what the future will hold for these unique wild animals, but with the ongoing commitment of CAI to conserving these sheep and their unique habitat, we know they will continue to thrive in this unique ecosystem for generations to come. If you want to be a part of this commitment to stewardship, why not join us for a volunteer with the Chilcotin Ark Institute and get involved in conservation projects like this? Located in the wilderness of the South Chilcotin Mountains, this is the perfect place to learn from and conserve nature. Check out the Chilcotin Ark Institute’s volunteering page for more info, we look forward for you to join our community!
Author: Charlie, UK
