Omaha daily bee., 1886-08-17
SHEEP OF THE ROCKIES,
Plunging Over The High Cliffs aud Land
ing on Their Horns.
CURLING THEMSELVES IN BALLS.
wild Sheep THAT Stand as High as
FulI-Grown Mans Shoulder
Tho Wariest OF Noun
tain Game.

Horn or Rocky Mountain shccp-says
the Philadelphia Times correspondent,
writing from Fort Keogh, Montana
furnishes the most sport to huntsmen.
Chasing the buffalo across the plains on
horseback ana killing them with re.
volver, which was at one time the favor
ite method of hunting the big bison, used
to be the ne plus ultra of Nimrodic
amusements in Montana, but since the
buffalo have disappeared hunters have
drifted back into the mountains, where
the "Ovis.Montana" are to be found
during late years in the greatest abund.
ance. There may be lots of fun scamper.
ing over the prairie after 1,500-pound
bull, but there is the heat and violent ex-
ercise, not to speak of the danger of
your horse plunging into II prairie-dog
hole and sending you downwards to
grass at an angle of fifteen or twenty
degrees The mountain sheep is always
found among the peaks and cliffs in cool
attitudes and pretty near the timber or
perpetual snow line. The big horn sheep
of the Rocky Mountains is most difficult
animal to bag. They are usually found
| in pairs, often IN ilocks of from four to
| forty and sometimes in bands of a humid
red or more. One old sheep hunter
! living on Pryor's fork, near here, relates
| that he saw not long ago n flock of eighty
one sheep in the Bitter Root range, and
| about five years ago, while scouting
| through the Teton basin IL Northern Wy
oming, near the southern boundary OF the
| Yellowstone national park, he ran upon
| band that must have numbered over
three hundred.
THEIR HOME IN TIE MOUNTAINS.
These animals range all the way from
the Rio Grande to the Mackenzie, but at
limits named they are exceedingly scarce
| and most difficult to kill. Their natural
| home is among the mountains of the Up
per Yellowstone and Missouri rivers.
Some few are found in Washington terri
tory, Oregon and California, but the cen
| ter around which they revolve is the 1el-
lowstone National Park and the border
ing counties of Montana, Idaho and
Wyoming. Particularly are they ,plenti-
ful in the mountains from which they
take their rsame, viz, the Big Horn.
Very little is known of the habits OF this
rare game animal, even by those who
have written on the subject. They range
winter and summer alike IN the same
latitudes and attitudes, only in summer
they wander farther away than in the op.
posite season. During the cold months
they stay on the southern slopes of the
mountains so us to catch the sun. In the
summer they are generally found on
the higher benches where the bunch
grass and mountain clover are abun-
dant Among the peaks where they
habituate, one of the first things to ap-
pear in the spring is the wild onion or
leek, which is eagerly, sought out and de-
parts to the flesh delightful flavor, and
makes the meat of the big horn the most
delicious in the mountains. Their great
est enemy is the e-mountain lion. In fact
the principal diet of the mountain lion is
the tender offspring of the ''Ovls Mon
tana." When lambs are not to be had,
the fierce North American panther does
| not object to feasting on the parents.
These rare sheep are also subject to a
sort of scab disease, which, when it be-
comes epidemic, sweeps off at short no.
ticc scores of them, young and old alike.
The lambs are usually brought forth
from the 9Th to the Goth of May.
ROLLING OVER THE CLIFFS.
The "Ovis Montana" is adorned with
the most remarkable head gear imagin-
able in the shape of monstrous horns.
These are used by them for various pur-
poses, but principally as means of de-
fense. Astonishing as it may seem, they
also use their immense horns to assist
them in descending from one loft emf
crag to crag and from ridge 10 ridge
should it become necessary to make a
jump downwards, no matter what the
height, they roll themselves up into a
kind of ball, vault out into the air and,
Turning succession of somersaults,
keep the ball rolling, so to speak, until
they strike on their powerful horns be-
loM The shock would kill an ordinary
animal, but these wary deniZens of the
mountains don't seem to mind it much,
for they spring to their feet and go
bounding over impossible chasms and
Jagged rocks until it becomes necessary
make another descent, when the same
tactics are repeated.
w. b. Dow, of the Green Mountain
Cattle company, relates that he saw near
his ranch on Powder river, not long ago,
a band of 800 mountain sheep. They
were browsing on a lofty cliff, when for
some unaccountable reason, the flock
became stampcded and rushed away like
IA whirlwind. On they came pell NELL to
to the edge of the cliff, which was cut
sharp into perpendicular decline OF
fully fifteen hundred feet. The leaders
paused, but there was no help for il, the
rear guard crowded them over, ana the
} entire flock went neck over heels down
into space. 1t was, no doubt, curious
sight to see 300 mountain sheep doubled
up into balls and falling over such a
after another, until the whole band had
made the awful jump. AS this was such
a frlghtful leap for any breathing crea'
} ture to make and live, ii is not surprising
to know that thirteen out OF the 300 were
} killed by the conclusion. The cowboys
of the ranch secured the meat, which
they declared far superior to their choice
Montana steers.
HORNS OF GREAT SIZE.
Some of the mountain sheep horns at
! tain remarkable size One pair brought
:, :, into this fort last February by Chey
enne Indian measured seventeen inches
, IN circumference. although only forty
inches in length. The ram from which
, they were taken was a splendid speei
l men, weighing over two hundred pounds
and stood when erect, nearly up to ;
mans shoulders. Being such a wary an
imal, the following story of the capture
D of Il big horn by Mr.. +. i. Baker. Penn
= sylvania gentleman VIII O has ranch neal
Boulder, in the western part OF the terri
; tory, will seem most strange and surpris
. ing. The story comes well authenticated
and there can be no question about il
. veracity. Mr., Baker actually accom-
> plished the singular feat OF catching an,
holding by his unaided strength wilC
Rocky Mountain sheep-a eve. He cam:
bor Of ha fnn nf clplipn ba n