Montana Field Guide

Coat white; horns and hooves black; tail may have a few brown or black hairs; long hair of winter coat forms a beard under the chin and pantaloons around the front legs; body compact and chunky, legs short; horns smooth, sharp, and curved slightly backward, 8-10 inches long; horns of nannies curve less and are thinner, but sometimes longer, than those of billies; hooves have hard outer edges with soft centers that "stick" to rocks; old billies may weigh 300 lbs. or more, nannies about 150 lbs. Nannies, kids and immature billies form small herds; mature billies often alone except during rut; females dominant over males.

Occ. discrete wint. & sum. ranges 5-10 mi. apart in Bitter- roots (Smith 1976). Males show little home range fidelity (Rideout 1977).

Precipitous terrain; steep, south-facing slopes in winter, sometimes enter subalpine forest (FWP). Snow cover an important influence on winter distribution. Winter habitat: cliffy terrain, s. facing canyon walls, windblown ridgetops. Spring: s. and w. facing cliffs. Summer: meadows, cliffs, ravines, & forests (Chadwick 1973, Burleigh 1978, Joslin 1985).

Grasses, sedges, lichens, forbs and shrubs (FWP). Dominant items vary dep. on range/season: grasses, sedges, shrubs and forbs. Conifer. trees, mosses and lichens also used (Saunders 1955, Chadwick 1973, Smith 1976, Burleigh 1978). May congregate at mineral licks (Joslin 1985, Singer 1978).

Vehicle access linked to pop. declines (Joslin 1985). Low productivity and sociobio. char. combine to make sensitive to overharvest (Smith 1976, Burleigh 1978). May leave traditional areas in response to disturbances--logging (Chadwick 1973, Joslin 1985).

Breed in November and December; usually one kid, but sometimes two on good range; billies fight head to tail, sometimes inflicting serious wounds to hindquarters and flanks; nannies usually breed at 2 1/2 years of age (FWP). Breeds at 2 yrs. Courtship beg. late Oct. Breed Nov-Dec. Give birth late May-early Jun. Gestation 182 days. Neo- nates highly precocious (Smith 1976). 1-2 young, usually 1. Hunting tends to be additive. Low-to-now compens. resp.