Official Big Horn Sheep watch to be held along Green River

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On Dec. 3-4, the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) will sponsor a bighorn sheep watch along the Green River corridor.
The event is free to the public. There is no pre-registration. Sheep watchers are encouraged to bring a pair of binoculars, spotting scope and camera.
The DWR will guide participants up the Green River, adjacent to the town of Green River. Biologists will have extra spotting scopes and binoculars for public use. The DWR will also provide a large passenger vehicle for those who wish to ride along.
The event begins on Friday evening at 7 p.m. at the Carbon County Events Center at 393 S. Fairgrounds Road. To get to the fairgrounds, exit State Highway 6 at the west Price exit, which is Exit 240. At the off-ramp stop light, turn right. Travel west. Follow the signs to the fairground.
Justin Shannon, DWR regional wildlife program manager, will present a PowerPoint program on bighorn sheep ecology and life history. Mr. Shannon’s graduate thesis was on this very subject. Bighorn skulls and horns will be displayed as part of his presentation.
The following morning, participants will meet at the John Wesley Powell Museum in Green River at 8 a.m. The museum is located at 1765 E. Main Street.
From there, the group will travel up the Green River in search of bighorn sheep. The road up the Green River changes from asphalt to gravel and then to packed dirt, but is suitable for passenger cars.
Bighorns are in the rut at this time of year and are less wary of human presence. They allow closer approach by vehicles as their attention is turned to courtship and breeding. Occasionally, equally matched rams engage in head-butting. At other times, a superior ram will harass or drive off a smaller ram.
Because bighorn sheep are wild and unpredictable, the DWR can’t guarantee that sheep will be seen. Participants need to be aware of that possibility at the outset. Regardless of the outcome, the beauty of the Green River will make the trip worthwhile for everyone who attends.
For more information, contact Brent Stettler at 435-613-3707 or brentstettler@utah.gov