The British Columbia Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis published annually by the Ministry of Environment contains the following definitions relevant to horn curl restrictions on wild sheep:

Mountain Sheep - FULL CURL Bighorn Ram - means any male bighorn mountain sheep, the head of which, when viewed squarely from the side, has at least one horn tip extending upwards beyond a straight line drawn through the centre of the nostril and the lowest hindmost portion fothe horn base. If the skull and horns are presented for examination, when viewed squarely from the side with both horns in alignment, at least one horn tip extends upward beyond a straight line drawn through the lowest hindmost portion of the horn base and the lowermost edge of the eye socket.

Mountain Sheep - 3/4 Curl Bighorn Ram - means any male bighorn mountain sheep, the head of which, when viewed squarely from the side, has at least one horn tip extending beyond a straight line drawn through the back of the eye opening and at right angles to a line drawn between the centre of the nostril and the lowest hindmost portion of the horn base. If the skull and horns are presented for examination, when viewed squarely from the side with both horns in alignment, at least one horn tip extends beyond a straight line through the back edge of the eye socket and at right angles to a line drawn through the lowest hindmost portion of the horn base and the lowermost edge of the eye socket.

Mountain Sheep - MATURE Bighorn Ram - means any bighorn ram mountain sheep that has attained the age of 8 years as evidenced by true horn annuli as determined by the regional manager or designate, or whose horn tip, when viewed squarely from the side extends upwards beyond the forehead-nose bridge.

Mountain Sheep - Full Curl Thinhorn Rams - means any male thinhorn mountain sheep whose horn tip extends upwards beyond the forehead - nose bridge when viewed squarely from the side or which has attained the age of 8 years as evidenced by yearly horn growth annuli as determined by the Regional Manager or designate. Do not use yearly horn growth annuli to determine the age of a ram in the field, because "false" annuli may be present.

Bighorn sheep may be hunted in British Columbia in regions 3, 4, 5, 7A, 7B and 8. Particular attention must be paid to the applicable horn restrictions in each of these regions.

There is no open general season on 3/4 curl bighorns anywhere in British Columbia. 3/4 curl rams may be harvested only under a Limited Entry permit. In addition, all sheep hunting in Region 8 is on Limited Entry.

Region three has both an open season for Full Curl Bighorn Rams (management units 3-17, 3-31 and 3-32) and an open season for Mature Bighorn Rams (management unit 3-17). Hunters must be particularly mindful of the different horn curl restrictions applicable when hunting in management unit 3-17, which has areas subject to both a Full Curl Bighorn Ram restriction and a Mature Bighorn Ram restriction. The following diagram shows the applicability of these different restrictions in Management Unit 3-17 [this is Map C1b from the Hunting & Trapping Regulations Synopsis]:

All management units within regions 4, 5, 7A and 7B that have an open season on bighorn sheep require harvested sheep to meet the definition of a Full Curl Bighorn Ram restriction.

Thinhorn sheep (Stone's sheep and Dall's sheep) may be hunted in British Columbia in regions 6, 7A, and 7B. To be legal, all thinhorn sheep harvested in British Columbia must meet the defintion of "Mountain Sheep - Full Curl Thinhorn Rams". As noted in the definition, extreme caution must be used in harvesting thinhorn sheep based on a field determination of age using growth annuli, due to the common presence of false annuli. False annuli may result from an injury or other stress on a ram during the period of otherwise rapid horn growth.

Always remember that, in order to determine whether a ram meets the applicable horn curl requirements, you must be able to view the horns directly from the side, and at the same elevation as the ram. If the view you have does not meet these requirements, you should not shoot, even if you think that the ram is legal. Instead, wait for a better view.

Now that you reviewed the education component of the Society's horn curl education program, please take the Horn Curl Test.