Bighorn sheep battle it out at Birch Creek. Story by Bill Schiess ... “Their rut must be over,” I commented to Steve, just a little disappointed. But we did not have to wait long, ...

The rut is probably the most vital event in a species’ yearly life cycle. The rut is the mating season, usually fall, for many large ... Bighorn sheep may do this hundreds of times in an afternoon.

SKALKAHO - Standing behind grass taller than its back, a small bighorn lamb cranes its neck to watch the parade of people shuffling up the hillside. Nearby, another four bighorn sheep hardly look ...

In case of a bighorn sheep emergency, call the Bighorn Institute at 760-346-7334. If you are unable to reach the institute, call Erin Schaeffer with California Fish and Wildlife at 760-628-4022.

Desert bighorn sheep prefer the steep, rocky terrain of Zion’s east side because they’re less vulnerable to predators, such as mountain lions, while traversing sandstone cliffs.

While bighorn sheep exist in other western mountain ranges, the Sierra Nevada subgroup is genetically distinct -- the remaining 350 sheep are all that remain of the species.