07/09/2026
Montana is heading into a stretch of serious heat, with triple-digit temperatures forecast in parts of the state.
Bighorn sheep aren’t immune to heat stress. They’re mammals with limits, and when the temperature climbs, they have to manage body heat the same way they manage everything else: by using the country well.
A hot bighorn day often means less movement during the worst heat, more feeding during the cooler edges of the day, and more time bedded in shade. In some sheep country, caves, shaded rock, wind-cooled ledges, and cooler slopes can make a real difference.
Even their horns may play a small part. Bighorn horns aren’t dead ornaments. They have a living bony core beneath the keratin sheath, and in bovids, that kind of structure can help move some heat away from the body.
The real strategy, though, is using the landscape and habits to stay as cool as possible.
