What do you figure for age on this fella?

[Calico]

10 year old ram

[cpwrestler]

I suck at this but i want to learn .... where am i going wrong?

Is it wrong to go JUST by the "lines" if the ridges on the top are hard to spot?

I suppose there should be 9 now that i looked at it a bit more, but again, i still don't know if i got the others right, and i don't see a 10th.

I'd say your 7th annuli is a false making this ram 7.5. Remove it from your total and you have nice, even spacing. If it were a real annuli, it would be odd for the ram to go from such a big growth year between your 5-6 to such a small one between 6-7, and then you have to "find" a non-existent annuli or two between your 8 and the base to follow normal spacing.

I say 7.5

[srupp]

I'd say your 7th annuli is a false making this ram 7.5. Remove it from your total and you have nice, even spacing. If it were a real annuli, it would be odd for the ram to go from such a big growth year between your 5-6 to such a small one between 6-7, and then you have to "find" a non-existent annuli or two between your 8 and the base to follow normal spacing.

I say 7.5

Good point and insight. .in a lot of ways I would agree with you..however..it is a Cali ram? Just never seen this mass in 7.5..anywhere.
Much to much mass, formation just isn't a 7 1/2 year old cali.imo.
Great read..
Steven

[elknut]

I will say 10 1/2 years..The broomed end is 1 1/2 years old...Dennis..Also there is another year from the 8th line to the base..Making it 9 countable rings and the broomed end that a biologist will add 1 1/2 years too ..There must be a wildlife biologist or a CO on this forum..What say you?...

[Bear Brawler]

I got 9 before reading any comments. I can't wait the Sheep Show soon.

[dracb]

I'd say your 7th annuli is a false making this ram 7.5. Remove it from your total and you have nice, even spacing. If it were a real annuli, it would be odd for the ram to go from such a big growth year between your 5-6 to such a small one between 6-7, and then you have to "find" a non-existent annuli or two between your 8 and the base to follow normal spacing.

I say 7.5

Yep, the CI is going to be looking very closely at annulus number 7. Poor health or poor feed can cause horn growth in any year to be much reduced from what would otherwise be expected and can also produce a false annulus within a years growth. The widths between 6, 7 and 8 would require adverse health/environmental conditions for at least two consecutive years. This is much less likely than some event causing a single false annulus at the site marked as 7 on the photo. Your age interpretation based on the photo is probably correct.

[elknut]

RAMSHOT..Is this sheep from the Chasm?...Lots of sheep have died due to exposure to domestic sheep down there..I used to go deer hunting in mid to late November and the sheep were right around the corner at the bottom of the hill ..I've got pictures of lots of sheep..Also got a pic of the ram that was poached and someone cut his head off..There used to be about 55 or so sheep..Haven't been there for a few years so don't know how the sheep are doing..No use deer hunting there as the whole mountain is burned from the fires..There were some up and comer rams the year the big guy got poached......Dennis

[Ramshot]

This ram is from the South Thompson sheep herd on the Kamloops Indian reserve ir#1. It died in close proximity to a herd of domestic goats. This is why the necropsy was conducted. The horns are being prepared by a taxidermist and is being donated to WSSBC fundraiser in March. Will post age from regional biologist tomorrow on this ram.

[elknut]

Thanks Ramshot..Great fundraiser......Dennis

[.264winmag]

7 and a bit I'd say, definitely looks like a false ring mixed in there.