What Do Bighorn Sheep Eat?

Posted Wednesday May 31, 2017 by wf_admin

What do bighorn sheep eat to survive the harsh, sub-freezing conditions of winter? Wildlife Forever helped researchers at the University of Idaho discover the answers in the Frank Church Wilderness. Radio collars were used to track the sheep and record their foraging activity. To back up this information, research biologists went to the field and used optics to make 80 direct observations of sheep foraging. The information is being used to determine the bighorn’s activity patterns and energy requirements. These results are helping wildlife managers better understand disease susceptibility, nutritional needs, and habitat requirements in order to reverse declining sheep populations in the western United States.