Bighorn sheep are among the most regal big game animals in Idaho. They have an amazing ability to blend into the terrain. Some sheep can be reclusive and elusive, while others have a high tolerance of humans and live in close proximity to them. Prior to the arrival of white settlers, bighorn sheep may have been the most abundant big game species in Idaho. However, massive die-offs of bighorn sheep occurred when domestic sheep were imported to Idaho. When the two intermingle, native sheep often contract diseases and die. There’s been a continuing conflict between native, wild sheep and domesticated sheep for more than a century, and it continues to the present.
Roger Phillips / rphillips@idahostatesman.com