[6] The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep's specialized hooves are not only essential for navigating their rocky habitats but also play a crucial role in their mating rituals, where males engage in horn-clashing contests to establish dominance.

[5] Human activity, particularly hunting and habitat disturbance, has been observed to impact the behavior of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, causing them to become more wary and altering their movement patterns.

[5][11] Sierra bighorn inhabit open areas where the land is rocky, sparsely vegetated, and characterized by steep slopes and canyons.

Bighorn prefer open ground with high visibility to better detect predators and allow enough time to reach steep, rocky areas (escape terrain).

During winter, some bighorn occupy high-elevation, windswept ridges, while others migrate to lower elevations to avoid deep snow and to find forage.

[5] In the spring and summer, Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep primarily feed on grasses and forbs, while in the fall and winter, they shift their diet to include more woody vegetation.

[15] Centuries of unregulated hunting, disease outbreaks, and mountain lion predation took a heavy toll on the Sierra bighorn population.

Human-induced threats include habitat loss due to development and climate change, hunting, and competition for food with domestic livestock.

Translocations by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) helped to reestablish bighorn herds in historic habitat, but in spite of these efforts the population hit a low of about 100 total individuals in 1995.

Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep as endangered and the California legislature approved funding for a recovery plan.

This plan involved the use of scientific methodologies and GPS satellite tracking for relocation efforts, which successfully increased the population of these sheep.