Right handed sheep?

[bearheart]

Had lunch with an old sheep hunter yesterday making plans for next year:wink::-DHe wondered out loud whether sheep tended to be "right handed" more often than left handed , just like humans, because he thought they seem to broom the right horn more often than the left? I have two broomed Stone rams and both are broomed on the right. There must be some science to this, does anyone know?

[proguide66]

'Brooming' is actually caused by smashing horns during the rut as well as 'dominance' acts during the year. Maybe they are more right or left eye dominant making them cock their heads to the left more on average while fighting??

[elknut]

Bearheart.....Funny you should bring that up..I mean about sheep being right or left ....I tend to think elk.. moose.. deer..etc show one dominant antler..The odd one come out with very little side to side difference...Interesting..maybe someone else can shed more light on the subject..Elknut..

[Walking Buffalo]

Gordon Eastman noted that the majority of Bighorn sheep used their right leg to paw for food.

He mentions this in one of these movies. If you like sheep, watch and enjoy.



Cut and Paste the link, remove the blank space after http:

Big Horns
http: //www.xbandits.com/dvdshow.php?cmd=viewall&videotype=SD&videoid=319

The Phantom Ram
http: //www.xbandits.com/dvdshow.php?cmd=viewall&videotype=SD&videoid=299

[blindcast]

I was under the impression that the broomed horns are caused by the rams scraping the tips on boulders when they interfere with their vision. Would have a heck of a blind spot if it didn't. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Jim 1367]

Not trying to disprove your theory but I shot an Alberta Bighorn broomed on the left. A year or two later I shot a Desert also broomed on the left. Then when up in BC hunting Stone's my guide asked me what kind of ram I would be happy with. Since I had taken one about 10 years earlier I told him I would hold out for a good one or nothing(I won the hunt In a raffle). I did say I would like one broomed on the left so he matched some of my other rams. Well I did get a great ram that was broomed on the left. Last year on a Dall hunt in Alaska as hard as I tried to find one boomed on the left, the ram I got was broomed on both sides.

[moose2]

In the last 3 years my partners and I have taken 4 stones 1 wasn't broomed 2 were broomed left and 1 was broomed both sides.
Mike