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Different wildlife

Posted: October 9th, 2021, 8:57 am
by firesilage
I enjoy taking photos of different animals while hiking. I would like to take some photos of the neat looking sheep. Sometimes people call them aoudad other times they say Barbary sheep. I don't know which one is its real name. Has anyone seen these during their outings? Thank you

Re: Different wildlife

Posted: October 9th, 2021, 9:33 am
by johnspeth
According to several google hits, only bighorn sheep are found in Oregon. They are usually found in NE Oregon.

Re: Different wildlife

Posted: October 9th, 2021, 11:11 am
by firesilage
I have found several videos on YouTube of them, I belive somewhere in the central part of the state. I don't know how many there are. Maybe they are all on private ground?

Re: Different wildlife

Posted: October 9th, 2021, 11:17 am
by Waffle Stomper
If you are looking for close to Portland, Bighorn sheep can be seen along I-84, between Biggs and the Dalles, I've seen them several times in the morning, but parking to photograph them could get you a ticket. There are areas where they have been introduced and you might see some along the lower Deschutes River and John Day. Otherwise most are in NE Oregon.

You can easily find resources online if you are seeking them out, but they are very elusive critters.

Re: Different wildlife

Posted: October 9th, 2021, 11:18 am
by retired jerry
hmmm... something fishy here :)

I often see bighorn sheep along the Deschutes River

are you out of Portland?

Re: Different wildlife

Posted: October 9th, 2021, 11:22 am
by Waffle Stomper
retired jerry wrote:
October 9th, 2021, 11:18 am
hmmm... something fishy here :)
I have similar thoughts. It is hunting season and some controlled hunts are open or opening up.

Re: Different wildlife

Posted: October 9th, 2021, 1:40 pm
by johnspeth
firesilage wrote:
October 9th, 2021, 11:11 am
I have found several videos on YouTube of them, I belive somewhere in the central part of the state. I don't know how many there are. Maybe they are all on private ground?
You're probably right about private land. This private hunting ranch near Fossil has them. I hope they're keeping them confined to the ranch.

Re: Different wildlife

Posted: October 10th, 2021, 4:36 pm
by bobcat
Barbary sheep a.k.a. the aoudad are native to the mountains of north Africa (Morocco to Egypt). In Oregon, they along with various other exotic goats, sheep, and antelope are present on a couple of private ranches east of the Cascades as trophy targets (for the price tag of a few thousand $$$) for those willing to pay the price. To each their own.

If you really want to photograph them, I'd go to Morocco (pretty safe), Algeria (less safe), or Libya (not safe at all) to get them in their native habitat.

Re: Different wildlife

Posted: October 14th, 2021, 5:56 pm
by cfm
I met this guy on Steens Mountain a few days ago:
ram2.JPG

Re: Different wildlife

Posted: October 15th, 2021, 7:05 pm
by bobcat
Great shot! Photographers can take as many pics as they want; hunters get one tag per lifetime. Just to be clear to those who may not immediately recognize it, the ram is a California bighorn, not an aoudad. Bighorn sheep are native but became extinct in Oregon; successful reintroduction efforts began in the 1950s.