Okanagan Falls Spring Visitors - Big Horn Sheep

Approximately 100 Bighorn Sheep spend the spring in the Vaseax Lake area and many are found on the slopes and the grassy areas along the drive to Blue Mountain winery.  They are a recovering herd that has bounced back after a pneumonia epidemic that reduced populations throughout the Okanagan in the late 90's.  Known for their large curling horns and the charging they do during mating season these majestic beauties are placid herbivores that live 6 - 15 years.

These are all images of our resident Big Horn sheep here at Blue Mountain.  Should you get any great pictures of the sheep on your way to visit us please submit them to bluemountain@bluemountainwinery.com and we will try and post them on our facebook page.  To help you identify what you are seeing, here is a sketch of the various horn shapes as the sheep age.

Classification diagram for Bighorn Sheep from Geist 1971 (Mountain Sheep: a study in behaviour and evolution)

For more information:  South Okanagan Bighorn Sheep Inventory 2013 

A big thank you to Aaron Reid, R. P. Bio Wildlife Biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resource Operations.