Nice!!!

Those are some great looking rams...

I saw those sheep again. I had business in Oregon. On my drive down I spotted 3 groups, maybe 20 total sheep, and the last group had a couple nice rams. But I also had to keep my eyes on the road - so no stopping, no pics.

I am told that the herd along the Columbia orginated with a mixed (several gene pools) herd introduced into the John Day River area/canyon. They quickly grew in number and populated clear down to the mouth at the Columbia, and then spread along the breaks of the Columbia. Aside from the challenge of getting a tag, I am told that to get permission to hunt along the Columbia the landowner wants to see green (spelled $$$).

In other news, and speaking of mixed genes, at Sisters, Oregon I saw quite intimately a herd of literally mixed mule deer and blacktail deer. Of a group of 16 - some had distinctive tails of mule deer, and at least one the distinctive tail of the blacktail. I am told that the deer in this region are small because they interbreed. And indeed these deer WERE SMALL, even the mature bucks.

So, whereas mixed genes is producing BIG sheep in Oregon, it is also producing SMALL deer.

They have been moving sheep from this interstate herd to other areas in oregon. I found info about sheep relocation and the mule deer x blacktail hybrids online. Below are a couple of quotes from Deschutes & Ochoco NF Website located at http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/wildlife/species/mammals/hoofed.shtml IN CENTRAL OREGON: Bighorn sheep have been re-introduced to Oregon, Steens mountain, Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, as well as locations within Deschutes, Lake, Wallowa, Grant, Gilliam, Baker, Malheur, and Sherman counties."
"IN CENTRAL OREGON: Many Columbian black-tailed deer spend their summers with Rocky Mountain Mule Deer in the sub alpine parklands of the high Cascades, when winter snows blow in the deer must migrate to lower elevations, inevitably some blacktails migrate into Central Oregon with mule deer. These populations of mule and blacktails breed or intergrade to form a hybrid population. The resulting offspring resembles an exceptionally large blacktail, with careful observation differences may be noticed, for example, a dark vertical stripe extending down the entire length of a wide tail is typical of a blacktail/mule deer intergrade. Large populations of Columbian black-tailed deer can be seen at the White River wildlife area." Thought this may be of interest to some of you high desert hunters. I wonder if the hybrids taste better than the mulies.

i see those sheep just about every time i go to oregon. i have family in Hood River, Dalles and Wasco, so i always watch for them. always in that same little flat huh?