Deschutes - Bighorn Sheep

This forum is used to share your experiences out on the trails.
Post Reply
User avatar
drm
Posts: 6133
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
Contact:

Deschutes - Bighorn Sheep

Post by drm » March 25th, 2019, 1:18 pm

Hiked up the river trail (mostly) to the fourth camping area, about 10.5 miles in. This trip really left me sore, and for only a 21 mile RT. I'm in the worst shape in a long time and have my work cut out. It rained most of Saturday night, but didn't start until after I got in the tent and stopped an hour or so before sunrise, so that was perfect. And sun slowly came out to full sunshine by midmorning.

Anyway, my reward for my early season training hike was seeing two sizable herds of goats up on the hillside on the way back. It would have been easy to miss them up there. The goat photo is pretty lousy, but phone cameras were not designed for wildlife!
dr1.jpg
Choo choo
dr2.jpg
burned area
dr3.jpg
free bridge pilings (I think)
dr4.jpg
dramatic camp
dr5.jpg
full sunshine!
dr6.jpg
Sheep! - there were many many more than this
Last edited by drm on March 25th, 2019, 2:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
retired jerry
Posts: 14395
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Re: Deschutes Goats

Post by retired jerry » March 25th, 2019, 1:29 pm

cool

I saw three herds on my side a couple years ago. They crossed the trail right in front of me. I was a bit scared, except they just continued on their way, seemed to be avoiding me.

User avatar
adamschneider
Posts: 3710
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:02 pm
Location: SE Portland
Contact:

Re: Deschutes Goats

Post by adamschneider » March 25th, 2019, 1:33 pm

Mountain goats?? Not bighorn sheep?

User avatar
drm
Posts: 6133
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
Contact:

Re: Deschutes Goats

Post by drm » March 25th, 2019, 2:00 pm

adamschneider wrote:
March 25th, 2019, 1:33 pm
Mountain goats?? Not bighorn sheep?
To be honest, all I could think was that they looked like caribou! But if they do not have their big rounded horns this time of year, I guess they could be bighorns. None of my pics is any better than the one posted.

User avatar
retired jerry
Posts: 14395
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Re: Deschutes Goats

Post by retired jerry » March 25th, 2019, 2:00 pm

yeah, bighorn sheep, at least that's what I've seen before, never goats

User avatar
adamschneider
Posts: 3710
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:02 pm
Location: SE Portland
Contact:

Re: Deschutes Goats

Post by adamschneider » March 25th, 2019, 2:04 pm

drm wrote:
March 25th, 2019, 2:00 pm
To be honest, all I could think was that they looked like caribou! But if they do not have their big rounded horns this time of year, I guess they could be bighorns. None of my pics is any better than the one posted.
OK, sounds like it was definitely sheep then. They're tan with white butts.

User avatar
drm
Posts: 6133
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
Contact:

Re: Deschutes - Bighorn Sheep

Post by drm » March 25th, 2019, 2:31 pm

Title and labels corrected - thanks.

User avatar
teachpdx
Posts: 395
Joined: January 21st, 2014, 4:45 pm
Location: Hillsboro, OR

Re: Deschutes - Bighorn Sheep

Post by teachpdx » April 3rd, 2019, 2:41 pm

My partner and I did an in-and-out to Gordon Ridge Rapids on 3/30 (just over 11 miles R/T)... in on the railbed and back out on the river trail.

We also saw the sheep way up on the ridge, only their silhouettes.

As well as a trio of river otters about a mile or so south of the trailhead.

It's generally much greener than this time last year, thanks to the burn. I plan to be back in a couple weeks for an overnight.
instagram: @remyodyssey

User avatar
Sean Thomas
Posts: 1647
Joined: February 25th, 2012, 11:33 pm

Re: Deschutes - Bighorn Sheep

Post by Sean Thomas » April 4th, 2019, 8:06 pm

Great sighting drm! The ewes(females) have much smaller/straighter horns than the rams. Bighorn don't shed their horns either, so it was probably a group of females.

Post Reply