“What is that guy shooting at us?” One bighorn sheep says to another. “Anyone hurt? No? Well, at this rate he’ll never hit us. Everyone, carry on eating.”

Seriously though these bighorn sheep are very protected. They live on an island in the middle-ish of Flathead Lake in Montana. The Salish-Kootenai Native Americans pastured their horses on the island to keep the other tribes from stealing them. The sleeping horse shaped island is very large, over 2,000 acres at 3,700 ft.

The sheep have no natural predators here on the island. The other animals I’ve seen here include wild horses, black bear, and a health herd of very large black-tailed deer.

It’s an island so you’ll need a boat or a ride on one to get to it but its always a great time. Try to go when the bitterroots are blooming, and hike high on the SE slopes. They are such a beautiful flower growing in the strangest places.

Montana State Parks