Where is the closest mountain sheep to Vancouver?

[srupp]

Hmmm Spenses bridge are rocky mtn bighorns..yet close by at Kamloops lake they are Californian bighorn..same as what WAS a herd at Chasm was California bighorn..
As for where the rockies from Spenses originated. .ive heard several theories..one being Hinton mine area..
Cheers
Steven

[pg83]

Can you clarify? Spences bridge is on the fraser river, so what are you saying is the divide between Rock mountain big horns and california big horns?

Spences Bridge is on the Thompson River. Lytton is the confluence of the Thompson and Fraser rivers, some 40km SW of Spences. I have no idea where the actual boundary(if it exists) between the native California and transplanted Rocky Bighorns is. I assume they would interbreed if given the chance and I see no reason why that would not already be the case given the time frame involved. But again, I am no expert.

[pg83]

I haven't gone so far as to look up anything official so take this for what it is:


http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showth...sheep-boundrys

[albravo2]

Around Lillooet. North side of Seton Lake.

I suppose Spences Bridge is closer though.

[Mulehahn]

Hmmm Spenses bridge are rocky mtn bighorns..yet close by at Kamloops lake they are Californian bighorn..same as what WAS a herd at Chasm was California bighorn..
As for where the rockies from Spenses originated. .ive heard several theories..one being Hinton mine area..
Cheers
Steven

Very interesting debate. Never considered where the boundary was (guess sort of like mule/blacktail divide at Harrison, imaginary line)

But I am curious. When did the Chasm Herd become WAS? I saw a heard last September right as Chasm, granted smaller then I used to see but just figured most were in the trees. Now that I think about it the were probably pushed out by fire

[pg83]

Very interesting debate. Never considered where the boundary was (guess sort of like mule/blacktail divide at Harrison, imaginary line)

But I am curious. When did the Chasm Herd become WAS? I saw a heard last September right as Chasm, granted smaller then I used to see but just figured most were in the trees. Now that I think about it the were probably pushed out by fire

M.Ovi


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...onia-1.3436291


This herd went from 110 to 28.

[Mulehahn]

M.Ovi


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...onia-1.3436291


This herd went from 110 to 28.

Thanks. I did not know about that. Guess I did come close to seeing the entire herd then. That is sad

[srupp]

Hmmm partly the story..unregulated harvesting 24 ..7..365 by a certain group added to the demise..but I agree with the main suspected reason..lots of lambs but most gone prior to age 1..
Talking with those in the know..some other unknown factors regarding seasonal movement seem to be adding into the mix.
As far as the boundry..yes interbreeding takes place..front side..Thompson..rockies.
Other side of the mountain.Fraser..calies...
Stevies

[boxhitch]

Spences RMBs came from Banff

These docs and others used to be on the WSSoBC website, though I don't see them now, nor the Horn Curl Test which used to be considered mandatory reading

gov.bc.ca/wld/frpa/iwms/documents/Mammals/m_bighornsheep.pdf

gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/bighorn.pdf

pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ae96/a864cdf65a5ed12cf9fd4bc8b023abbdf7d6.pdf

friendsofkootenay.ca/status-rocky-mountain-bighorn-sheep-british-columbia

Found the horn curl test on the old web page, proving nothing dies once on the internet

wildsheepsociety.homestead.com/index.html

[VLD43]

The southern half of 3-17 is Rockys. As you get past spences and over on the fraser river side about 20 or 30 KM from lytton, up river are where you start to see Cali's. In my opinion Cali's and Rockys are pretty easy to identify. Typically Cali's have a thinner stature, a roman nose, a lighter colour coat, and broom back quite substantially. Rocky's are much broader and mature rams tend to be a darker brown.