Size matters; when it comes to Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep
A set of massive horns found in the foothills south of Hinton have unofficially set the world record, though it will be weeks until a final measurement is taken. The horns were found with the skull of a deceased, decade-old ram believed to have died of natural causes in the spring of 2013.
Dean Bromberger, an accredited big-game measurer, was excited the moment he saw the horns. “These are impressive. We could tell just by looking at them that this would at least be pushing a world record. There was just so much mass. I was awestruck.”
Bromberger is an Edmonton measurer for American group Boone and Crockett, which catalogues big game records. He’s already taken a measurement of 209-1/8 inches, which would beat the record set in 2000 by less than an inch. The total score is a combination of the length and four circumference measurements of each horn.
An official measurement won’t take place until June 10, after a 60-day drying period to make sure the horns and skull are devoid of moisture. The horns must sit at room temperature that entire time.
The horns and attached skull are estimated to weigh nearly 18 kilograms.
It’s no surprise that a potential record setter comes from Alberta, Bromberger said. The western side of the province is the “mecca” for hunters looking for large horns, Bromberger said. The record books contain far more Alberta animals than from states such as Montana or Colorado.
Although large horns don’t necessarily always come from large animals, this ram was big enough to be noted and remembered by wildlife officers. With such a horn size, the ram was likely popular with females. During breeding season, rams compete to mate with ewes by fighting and smacking their horns against each other.
“It’s all about horn size and bragging rights,” said Reg Prostebby, president of the Wild Sheep Foundation of Alberta. “Only the best and biggest sheep earn the right to breed with ewes. Size counts, I guess you could say.”
Jack Reneau, director of big game records for Boone and Crockett, said that three of the 10 biggest sets of horns discovered in North America were picked up from deceased animals rather than hunted. If verified, this most recent find would be the fourth.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/ed...846/story.html
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