Bighorn Sheep Male Versus Female Use of Mineral Licks Within Glacier National Park (Poster)

Abstract

Little is known about the behavior of bighorn sheep when it comes to their use of mineral licks, including which groups frequent and utilize these licks the most. In the research, we used for this poster, we deployed a remote camera at a mineral lick within Glacier National Park near the Blackfeet Reservation. We analyzed 6124 photos using the Timelapse2 software. We then classified visits by ten minute intervals. We counted the maximum number of sheep by age class and sex within the ten-minute period, for sampling in 2014 and 2015. The results show a clear indication that this lick is used far more heavily by ewes and lambs than rams.  This implies that this mineral lick is a particularly important resource for ewes and juvenile sheep. Further studies could provide more information on population dynamics and provide invaluable information that could possibly aid in management strategies.