Arizona Bighorn Sheep Hunting Guides and Outfitters

Bighorn Sheep: Ovis canadensis, also called Rocky Mountain sheep, the largest of American wild sheep and a very popular big game when hunting in Arizona. The bighorn sheep is dark sandy-brown color in the summer and becomes grayish-brown in the winter. Its hair, like that of other wild sheep, is long, coarse, and full. The average ram {mail} stands between 38 to 42 inches {97 to 107 cm} high at the shoulder and weighs from 175 to 350 pounds {79 to 159 kg}. The name “bighorn” is in reference to the ram’s great, massive, tightly curled horns, which often make more than one complete turn. This is the trophy of bighorn hunting guides and outfitters that have services in Arizona. The horns differ from those of the Old World sheep in having a prominent front angle and a rounded inner edge. The record horn length of a bighorn ram is about 50 inches {127 cm}; the ewes {females} have much smaller, compressed horns. Hunters on a trip for this big game are sure to hear the male big horn sheep clash with each other for a very long distance.

Bighorn sheep are found in the Rocky Mountains from British Columbia and Alberta in Canada south through the United States including states like Colorado, Idaho, California, Montana, Nevada, Nebraska, and Arizona to name a few, south to the western Sierras in Mexico. Bighorn hunting trips and guided hunts are offered in most of these locations. They also live in the mountains of eastern Siberia. Desert bighorns occupy the mountain ranges in California, Arizona, and northern Mexico. Each of these places will enhance a trip for sportsmen. During the summer they inhabit the upland meadows and mountain slopes high above the timber line. During the severest part of the winter weather, they descend to the more sheltered valleys and cover of timber.

Although bighorns are herd animals, the males and females do not mix except during the mating season. At this time, the rams fight fiercely with each other for possession of the ewes. This is when you can hear this big game animal from very long distances. In January the mating season is over, and the rams join together again in a harmonious flock. The lambs, usually born two at a time, are born in May and June. For the first few hours, the mothers keep the lambs hidden and then lick them from head to tail; it is called “owning” the lamb, a ritual never omitted in the life of a sheep. Before the day is over, the newborn are running around with the other lambs. The lambs and ewes remain together for a year, but the young rams then leave the female herd and eventually join up with the bachelor groups. More information on hunting seasons for the Arizona bighorn sheep and other related subjects can be found at the following links:

Arizona Hunting Season Schedule

Arizona Hunting License

United States Weather

A relative of the Arizona bighorn, the white sheep or Dall’s sheep, O. dalli dalli, dwells in Alaska and the Yukon Territory. It is snow-white in the northern part of its range. A close relative called the blue sheep, O. d. stonei, also known as Stone’s sheep, is found further south in British Columbia. It is deep gray to blackish brown in color, but is almost black in the southern part of the province. The horns of the white or Dall’s sheep and Stone’s sheep are much like those of the big horn but do not curl so tightly nor are they so massive. When hunting this big game in Canada, be sure to keep the weather in mind as you plan out your trip or guided hunt. This is when a big horn hunting outfitter or guide can be of assistance.