MT-WTF did I see?

[Bulldog0156]

Headed back from looking for bears last night and in the Little Prickly Pear canyon between Sieben and the spring cr frontage rd exit I saw what appeared to be a chocolate brown bighorn sheep in the rocks of the canyon on the west side of the highway. It definitely had hooves and full curled horns, but the body size was about half the size of a bighorn. I wasn't able to get the binoculars out and get a better look at what I was actually seeing since there was nowhere to pull off the highway but it looked similar to the attached photo except it was all brown and the horns were tighter to the head. I have seen bighorns in the general area before but I'm not convinced this was a bighorn. Wondering if I saw some sort of strange hybrid sheep or domestic goat?

 

[Dsnow9]

There was a dark brown chocolate rocky right off I-70 in CO for a while. I believe a photo of it was on the sheep and goat brochure a couple years ago.

I’m not positive it’s the same one I saw but looked extremely similar to this.

 

[HappyCamper]

On the north/west side of the interstate I’ve seen what I thought was a big black domestic goat several times up high in the rocks. He’s been there awhile but I’ve never taken the time to really check him out. I didn’t think he had curls?

 

[Carnage2011]

Headed back from looking for bears last night and in the Little Prickly Pear canyon between Sieben and the spring cr frontage rd exit I saw what appeared to be a chocolate brown bighorn sheep in the rocks of the canyon on the west side of the highway. It definitely had hooves and full curled horns, but the body size was about half the size of a bighorn. I wasn't able to get the binoculars out and get a better look at what I was actually seeing since there was nowhere to pull off the highway but it looked similar to the attached photo except it was all brown and the horns were tighter to the head. I have seen bighorns in the general area before but I'm not convinced this was a bighorn. Wondering if I saw some sort of strange hybrid sheep or domestic goat?View attachment 326034

I have also seen that thing. It’s not a bighorn sheep for sure. I don’t know what it is but it has to be some kind of domestic.

 

[Bulldog0156]

Glad I asked. Figured it wasn't a true bighorn but I'm pretty sure I saw horns that curled down but were tight to the head and it looked like the same chocolate color as the sheep on the 2019 CO cover.

 

[Straight Arrow]

As you enter the canyon coming from Helena there is an exit onto the frontage recreation road along Little Prickly Pear Creek. Off to the right on the hill near that interchange is an odd complex with some ramshackle buildings, a pond, pieces of junk equipment, and some goats, horse, domestic animals. There are bighorn sheep in that area and I suspect this strange animal is a cross breed sheep of some kind.

 

[buffybr]

The sheep in the OP's picture is a Mouflan ram. They are native to Europe, and are on game farms and some wild in Texas, and several of the Hawaiian islands have them. One is difinately on my bucket list.

Don't tell FWP as they will say it is invasive and want to destroy it.

 

[BrentD]

The sheep in the OP's picture is a Mouflan ram. They are native to Europe, and are on game farms and some wild in Texas, and several of the Hawaiian islands have them. One is difinately on my bucket list.

Don't tell FWP as they will say it is invasive and want to destroy it.

They should. Shoot it now. What possible good can come from it?

 

[rogerthat]

Maybe this is some of those “good” Montana Mountain King genetics from Vaughn.

 

[PablitoPescador]

I remember seeing feral goats up there about 15 years ago. Not sure what the story is on how they got there. Sounds like the same critter I saw

 

[Ben Long]

There was one of these in Jewel Basin a few years back. It took FWP about 20 minutes to send a helicopter to kill it.

 

[Beignet]

The sheep in the OP's picture is a Mouflan ram. They are native to Europe, and are on game farms and some wild in Texas, and several of the Hawaiian islands have them. One is difinately on my bucket list.

I’d really like to hunt these and chamois in the Pyrenees at some point in life.

 

[shoots-straight]

The local Fish & Game should be notified immediately. This thing should not be running around free at all. Big threat to our native herds.

 

[mtmuley]

The local Fish & Game should be notified immediately. This thing should not be running around free at all. Big threat to our native herds.

Yep. Kill it. mtmuley

 

[Trap]

Wouldnt that be legal for anyone to shoot as invasive species? Assuming its on public land.

 

[Oak]

Mouflon are prohibited species in CO, and should be in any state or province with wild sheep populations.

 

[Forkyfinder]

One of those rare times posting sheep coordinates online and sending them to fwp would be a service.