Part 1: Introduction
A herd of Rocky Mountain big horn sheep slowly graze their way up
the grassy slope. As the herd of sheep nears the top approaching
the tree line that marks the peak of the ridge preceding the next
river drainage, something catches the lead sheep’s attention.
Guiding the herd, it instinctively turns to retrace the route back
down the slope. But something is not right there either. Humans
appear both ahead and behind the herd. In a mad dash down the hill,
the lead sheep directs the course of the herd toward the nearest
trees. The sheep scramble over the logs and brush in their path.
In their stampede over the obstacles, the sheep become entangled,
and the hunters harvest several animals before the rest of the herd
struggle over the logs, running to safety.
This remarkable hunt can easily be reconstructed as we walk up
this same grassy slope today. The wide saddle across the top of
this steep mountain has been crossed by numerous generations of
wild sheep, seemingly oblivious to any change in their natural habitat.
It has been over one hundred years since this sheep trap and other
traps like it were used by the Mountain Shoshones or “Sheep-Eater”
Indians. These skillfully designed traps were amazing efficient.
The dependency of the Mountain Shoshones on the big horn sheep make
it imperative for them to know everything about the animal: its
weaknesses and its strengths. They were well aware of the ancient
routes the sheep continually traveled in this region. The Mountain
Shoshones knew how leery the sheep were and what keen eyesight they
possessed. With this knowledge, they designed elaborate driveways
and built efficient traps to procure the sheep.
Part 2: The Long View
The sheep trap shown here is located on a grassy pass between two
river drainages. (Click
to see a larger version—22k download—of the image.)
The Mountain Shoshones used the entire pass in constructing this
driveway and trap. The outer wall, nearly a quarter of a mile
in length, begins at the head of along, steep gully that provided
a natural migration route over the mountain. The inner wall starts
at the edge of a steep cliff on the opposite side of the same
gully. (This
wall, shown in the photo to the left crosses the center of the
pass and continues up the slope. (Click here
to see a larger version—26k download—of the image.)
Made of logs, stones, and brush, the walls apparently were slanted
inward to discourage mountain sheep, who are known for their ability
to climb nearly any natural barrier, from climbing over the walls.
The two walls were not designed to come together quickly; they
purposefully funneled the animals into a somewhat circular enclosure
high on the slope. The overall objective of these walls was probably
not to contain the animals but to slowly direct their movement
up the driveway toward the ambush point.
Part 3: The Ambush
As a herd of sheep reached the top of this driveway, they were
not far from the protection of trees and a steep slope off the
other side of the mountain. At this point a small ambush structure,
big enough to hide several people, was built. The sheep moved
directly toward this structure on their natural route up the slope.
(The accompanying photo shows the ambush structure and the actual
trap on the slope below. Click here
for a larger version—31k.) With the sheep so close, the hunters
needed only to stand up and be seen by the lead sheep, causing
it to turn instinctively to flee. The wall located above the sheep
would have been less inviting as a way to freedom than the route
of the well-designed runway, leading straight down the slope.
(The
adjacent photo shows what the sheep would have viewed as a path
to safety of the trees beyond. Click here
for a larger version—34k.)
Other hunters were most likely hiding in the trees lining the
driveway; they would force the sheep to take the pathway to the
trap. From this point down the hill, the walls of the driveway
quickly narrow until they are no more than six to eight feet apart.
With the sheep running hard to get away, the wooden obstruction
at the end of the runway would have been of little concern. The
surefootedness of the sheep would have taken them easily up the
wooden ramp. Once on top the ramp, the sheep would have tried
to run over it, jump off the far end, and continue moving down
the open slope.
Part 4: The Trap
Mountain sheep are not tall animals, so the wooden ramp only needed
to be constructed approximately five feet above the ground. Their
speed and ability would have helped them negotiate
a short structure, so the length of the trap was built fairly
long. The top of the ramp held the key to the hunters’ success.
It was constructed much like a cattle guard used by ranchers today.
The logs were placed across the top in such a way that the animals,
even though they might be able negotiate the first couple of logs,
would likely lose their footing and fall between the logs, becoming
high-centered. As quick and strong as mountain sheep are, the
hunters probably had only a limited amount of time in which to
reach the trap and use their spears, bows, and clubs to harvest
several animals. (The photo above features a side view of the
actual trap. Click
for a larger version—38k.)
Part 5: Conclusions
The method of using traps by the Mountain Shoshones to secure
meat was not fool proof. There were many factors that might well
have prevented the trap from working. One factor was the wind.
After hunters had been sitting in the ambush structure for hours,
waiting for the sheep to graze their way up the driveway leading
to the wooden ramp, a change in the direction of the breeze could
give them away. The animals, warned of the hunters presence before
they reached the top of the driveway, would quickly turn to flee
in the opposite direction. Another factor in the method of trapping
sheep in this well designed and skillfully built structure was
that it only worked from a single direction. The herds traveling
over this particular pass had to come up from the gully below
to be enclosed within the walls of the structure. Sheep traveling
from other directions would have naturally gone around the outside
of the walls.
Even though this trap was not used every day, the people who
built it knew the sheep continually used this pass. The hunters
were aware that it was only a matter of time before another migrating
herd would move up the steep gully, eventually appearing in front
of the ambush structure. These hunts were consistently effective.
This particular trap is located in an area that was a wintering
ground for both sheep and the Mountain Shoshones who followed
their migration. Therefore, a sizable group of people may have
been available to make such a large designed trap work efficiently.
During the summer months when smaller groups lived and hunted
together, other hunting strategies might well have been used.
Very likely only a couple of animals were harvested while the
others fled to freedom. With small family groups, however, it
did not take a great number of animals to provide meat and hides
to sustain them until another hunt could be organized.
Game migrating from one drainage to another is probably the reason
other sheep traps have been located in various parts of this region.
The Mountain Shoshone most likely built traps and organized hunts
wherever sheep migrated.
The elements are slowly reclaiming the several remaining traps
in the area. Today, when we look at the remnants of a sheep trap,
we may see what appears to be carelessly strewn logs and rocks,
and the ramp may seem to be a pile of firewood. But the original
structures were ingenious devices used by a resourceful people
who were remarkable hunters.
