Intro
Unfortunately, when it comes to harvesting mature rams, most folks get infatuated with horn length and mass. This is good, but more importantly, age is the one criteria that should trump all others and become the deciding factor to pull the trigger.
This presentation has a dual purpose: First, to help you correctly measure Bighorn Rams, and also include tips to do it accurately. For that, we will be following Boone & Crocket’s system of measurement. And second; to share some important tips to be able to age your ram properly.
Get some tools as shown on slide No. 42, a black cup of cowboy coffee and lets get to work!
Loading…
Age Determination…
The scientific or correct way to determine a Ram’s age is to do Necropsy on the incisors. This process is referred to as the: “Tooth Cementum Annuli Count”
A .65 mm section of each tooth from the bottom jaw is removed and frozen before being sectioned in to 7 to 10 micron longitudinal sections. Next, the sections are floated in petri dishes of water and mounted on albumenated slides. They are then left to dry at room temperature and then stained with a blue toluidine solution. Following the drying process, they are viewed under a compound microscope with a magnification of 40 to 100x. The age rings are then counted under the microscope and one year is added to obtain the total age of the ram. This one year is because of the fact that the primary incisor does not erupt until the animal is about a year old.
There you have it; The Scientific method!
Loading…
Unless you are able to perform the process described in the previous slide, your only measure of a Ram’s age is to count his annuli age rings.
Besides their first year which inhibits the growth of a “ridge” rather than a groove or a “ring” as Taxonomists call it, a healthy Ram grows one annual ring every year, starting in early Spring.
You need to get educated so that you can differentiate between an annuli ring and non annuli rings and that is what I will try and learn you here.
As Jeff Kneteman of U of A describes in this slide, in Winter months, the horns stop growing and start growing again in the Spring. This “Stop and Start” process is what creates the annulus, aka annual growth ring. The annuli ring goes completely around the circumference.
On a typical Ram, the lamb tip, the 2nd and 3rd year annuli are separated by a larger distance. After that, as the Ram gets older, the distance between the annuli decreases. In this example, the annuli are highlighted with white Chalk.
The Lamb Tip
First annuli
Second annuli
Third annuli
Fourth annuli
Fifth annuli
Sixth annuli
Seventh annuli
Eighth annuli
Ninth annuli
Tenth annuli
Eleventh annuli
Real annuli are deeper than the fake annuli and there is a visible discontinuity in the lines crossing the annuli at a right angle. This is a very important tip to consider. Look at it here and you will see it for yourself.
Notice the “discontinuity “of these
lines, perpendicular to the annuli
The other important hint to look for is the “change in the angle” of growth at an annuli.
Note the “Change” in angle as
you hit the annuli rings.
Thinhorn sheep are easier to identify as far as age rings show. Look how distinct the age rings look on this ram. They also broom less than their Bighorn cousins.
Loading…
In some bad years with harsh Winters and Springs with low vegetation growth, horn growth diminishes…
This is how a “normal” growth pattern looks like on a Ram’s horn. The distances between the annuli gradually decreases.
This is how a “abnormal” growth pattern looks like on a Ram’s horn. This could be due to a long and harsh Winter which is typically followed by a lousy Spring. Look for it on BOTH horns and you should see it identically on both.
Boone and Crocket scoring system…
The first thing you need is a ¼” wide flexible steel tape. Best to buy the official one from B&C Store.
It is also advantageous to have someone else help you as you will find out in the coming slides.
We are going to age this ram first and then put the tape on him.
Here is the first annuli or the ridge as mentioned prior.
The second annuli…
The third…
The fourth…
The fifth…
The sixth…
The Seventh…
And finally, the Eighth.
Note the change in angle which occurs at the annuli.
As I mentioned before, the Thinhorn annuli are easier to see than those on the Bighorns.
Here is the B&C score sheet, straight out of their website.
Loading…
You start measuring the length from the lowest part of the ridge, just above the skull.
Make sure you roll the steel tape along the middle of the curve, applying pressure to keep it down.
Do this for both horns and mark the lengths down. In this particular case, L1 = 29 6/8” and R1 = 29 4/8”. Measuring at the end should be at right angles to the steel tape.
After you have determined the length along the curve for both horns, you take the longest horn length and divide it by four. You are doing this to see how the horns carry the girth (hence the mass) along the curve. You can either use chalk to mark these quarter points, or use a masking tape to stick it to the horns along the curve and mark it on the tape.
For our particular specimen, the right horn measured at 29 4/8” and the left horn at 29 6/8”. Hence divide 29 6/8” by 4 which equals = 7 7/16”. Then mark these quarter points along the curve on BOTH horns as shown on the next few slides.
I like to put transverse pieces of masking tape at the quarter points “under the steel tape” and mark them with a line.
You then have to use the steel tape, apply enough pressure to make it staunch and measure the girth. Its best to straddle the marked location between the overlapping tape sections as shown here.
The trickiest of all girth measurements is at the base as the tape has the tendency to slip off the horn. Remember that the tape must stay on the horn and not the skull bone, all around and as close to the end as possible.
Greatest spread and tip to tip spread are also recorded but play no part in the overall score.
Lets fill the B&C Score sheet now…
Concluding Remarks…
This particular specimen only scored
150 6/8”. It did not even come close to the 180” mark required by B&C as the min all time entry. However, he is a mature
8 ½ year old doubly broomed ram. Will I consider it a trophy sheep, you bet I will and you should too. This ram has done most of its breeding and is nearing the end of his useful life. He is a trophy to be proud of and will look great on your wall showing scars of his battle over the years.
With these basic tools and some practice and patience, you will soon be able to judge scores with some degree of accuracy.
If you have harvested a Ram in Alberta, we need your help…
Please read and contact one of the individuals shown below, or contact myself at :
Lovedmtns@gmail.com
Have fun and do not get the Sheep fever or else???
Alpine Outdoors Productions-2015 Copyright