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Birds and moose are not the only animals you see in the Cassiar mountains. There are also other herbivores (plant-eaters) that you'll see both in the valleys and the high country. Most locals are very familiar with the sheep that often come down to the road south of Good Hope Lake on highway 37. This is only a few kilometers north of the Holloway Bar Placer Mine on McDame Creek. The sheep often come down the draws and creeks running off the mountains. It might be unusual to see some of these animals outside of a zoo in other parts of the world, but they're just part of the fabulous ecosystem of Northern British Columbia.
Sometimes you just catch a glimpse of them in the woods. They're brown and white, and tend to blend into the natural colours of the area.
If you're lucky, the sheep will come out of their hiding places and make themselves very visible to you. They're often seen coming down the banks to the west of the road. Once they leave the cover and relative safety of the trees, they're a lot easier to spot.
While there are natural salt licks in the area, it's often easier for the sheep just to come down to the road to get their "salt fix". People often add the salt they need for their diets, but the wild life has to find other ways to find this. Although the roads aren't heavily salted to help melt snow (it's just too cold here in the winters for the salt to have any melting power), there is some that finds its way onto the road surface. The dall sheep have discovered this and use it to their advantage.
Sometimes you see a few family members together. While moose are loners most of the time, sheep aren't. They often travel together in family groups and are often watched over by a large ram. This majestic ram is perched on a rock overlooking his family - keeping a close eye on things to make sure all is well under his watch!
