Ovis canadensis
Steep rock and canyon country in the western mountains and deserts, and in the Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia. Blunt, nearly square tracks, often 2.5 to 3.5 inches, with a straight front edge.
What does a bighorn sheep look like?
Brown sheep with a white rump patch. Rams have massive curled horns. Ewes have shorter spikes.
What do bighorn sheep tracks look like?
Squarer and blunter than a deer hoof. Look at the ground: a track line on a cliff ledge is more sheep than deer.
- Blunt, nearly square tracks, often 2.5 to 3.5 inches, with a straight front edge
- Tracks on steep loose rock where deer rarely linger
- Concave hoof that grips rock
- Rams carry heavy curled horns
- Pellets are deer-like but the location is a cliff or canyon
What does bighorn sheep poop look like?
Oval pellets, often on benches and mineral licks. Do not handle droppings. Several species carry parasites that stay in the soil around a latrine.
Where you find it
Steep rock and canyon country in the western mountains and deserts, and in the Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia. Typical places: desert, field. Year-round where the species lives. Tracks show best in mud, sand, and snow.
What to do next
- Watch from a distance
- Do not handle droppings
- If the animal is injured or inside a building, call a local wildlife officer
This page is a field guide, not a permit to approach wildlife. If an animal is injured, aggressive, or inside a house, call a local wildlife officer.
Animals it is confused with
- Mountain goat identification
- Mule deer identification
- All animal identification pages
- Identify an animal from a photo, track, or description
A blunt, almost square split hoof, often on steep rock rather than a forest trail.
How do you tell bighorn tracks from mountain goat tracks?
Goat tracks are more pointed and are often on even steeper cliffs and snow. Bighorn tracks are blunter.
How to tell a bighorn sheep from similar animals
Use the track, the dropping, and the place together. One print is not enough.
- Mountain goat. More pointed than bighorn. All white, with a beard and short black horns.
- Mule deer. Similar heart-shaped hoof to white-tailed deer. Gray-brown body, oversized ears, black-tipped tail.
Bighorn sheep field marks
- Blunt, nearly square tracks, often 2.5 to 3.5 inches, with a straight front edge
- Tracks on steep loose rock where deer rarely linger
- Concave hoof that grips rock
- Rams carry heavy curled horns
Where the sign shows up
Steep rock and canyon country in the western mountains and deserts, and in the Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia. Typical places: desert, field. Year-round where the species lives. Tracks show best in mud, sand, and snow.
Squarer and blunter than a deer hoof. Look at the ground: a track line on a cliff ledge is more sheep than deer. Oval pellets, often on benches and mineral licks.
Common questions
What do bighorn sheep tracks look like?
A blunt, almost square split hoof, often on steep rock rather than a forest trail.
How do you tell bighorn tracks from mountain goat tracks?
Goat tracks are more pointed and are often on even steeper cliffs and snow. Bighorn tracks are blunter.