Wyoming

Bighorn sheep growing unique horns near Lovell, Wyoming

Published

9 months ago

October 14, 2025

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Bighorn sheep growing unique horns near Lovell, Wyoming

Bighorn sheep can be amazing animals to watch and a rancher near Lovell has seen something unique on a couple of rams.

One horn has been growing irregularly, blocking the animals’ vision and potentially growing around the face.

But an animal expert says none of that affects the rams’ ability to survive in the wild.
Watch bighorn sheep with unique horn here:

Bighorn sheep growing unique horns near Lovell, Wyoming

“There’s two of these sheep that I don’t know if it’s a genetic mutation or an injury,” said Justin Lucht, a rancher. “And that one side seems to grow faster and curls into and towards their nose and almost covers their eye.”

Lucht and his family own and raise cattle near Lovell, and he has seen the big horn sheep on the Moss Ranch portion of the E.O. Bischoff Ranch.

“The places that they go that you wouldn’t imagine anything being able to run off of steep cliffs and rocks and they can go anywhere,” Lucht said.

Lucht says it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to get a ram tag, something confirmed by the Wyoming Game & Fish Department.

And last year a hunter harvested one of the rams with a unique horn.

“He saw that ram and thought that was a pretty cool trophy,” Lucht said about the man who hunted on the family’s land. “And I think I’d agree. I would have wanted him too. The unique structure of his horns kind of makes him makes him a prize.”

Lucht says he has seen sheep coming down for water.

But for the most part to see them you’d have to go up a steep narrow road up to the top.

And on the other side, the sheep sometimes hang out with the family’s cattle in a canyon.

“The rams like to summer up a little bit higher,” Lucht said. “Then in the Fall, about this time, they start coming down and kind of congregating down there about to breed.”

Lucht says he has seen just two, and the horns on the right side of the sheep look the same.

“That to me leads to the idea that it could be a genetic mutation and that could cause this,” saild Jeff Ewelt, chief zoological officer at Omaha’s Henry Doorley Zoo and Aquarium and the former ZooMontana executive director.

He says an injury or infection could cause abnormal growth, but it’s more likely a mutation.

“When there’s not a lot of animals in that particular group, inbreeding can happen,” Ewelt said. “And then we all know that inbreeding, with genetic mutation, that can lead to things such as the horn anomaly that you’re seeing there.”

Lucht says the rams have looked as strong as any in the herd.

“His horn is big and strong and I’d I’d imagine he could fight just as well as anything else,” Lucht said.

Ewelt agrees and says the ram can handle battles with other rams and be ready for predators.

“Even if it was growing into his eyes as awful as that sounds, he will adapt to that,” Ewelt said. “They’re spectacular animals.”

“They’re amazing,” Lucht said.”Yeah, they’re cool.”

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Wyoming

NWSR issues Flood Watch advisory for portions of Central, Northwest Wyoming

Published

9 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Press Room

NWSR issues Flood Watch advisory for portions of Central, Northwest Wyoming

The National Weather Service in Riverton has issued a Flood Watch advisory for portions of central and northwest Wyoming, including Owl Creek, the Bridger Mountains, the Southwest Bighorn Basin, the Absaroka Mountains, and the Cody Foothills. This includes the cities of Cody, Thermopolis, Meeteetse, and Clark, and many areas near or partially in Fremont County. […]

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Wyoming

Wyoming Rodeo Stars Set for National High School Finals

Published

21 hours ago

July 16, 2026

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Wyoming Rodeo Stars Set for National High School Finals

The 78th National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) starts on Sunday, July 19, in Lincoln, Nebraska, and goes through Saturday, July 25, 2026. There are 12 rodeo performances across the seven days, with six in the first round and six in the second round. The top 20 cowboys and cowgirls return to the championship short round at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 25. Wyoming has 51 contestants competing across the 13 rodeo events, plus light rifle and trap shooting.

WYOMING RODEO ATHLETES OPEN COMPETITION AT NHSFR

Yoder’s Hadley Thompson was the All-Around Cowgirl at the 2025 NHSFR. She won national titles in the breakaway roping and goat last year in Rock Springs. Wyoming finished 11th in the team standings last year with 3,750.00 team points. The Cowboy State’s girls placed sixth, and the boys were 25th. Thompson also had the AQHA Horse of the Year for Cowgirls in CD Smokin Miss Kitty. Emeree Tavegie was sixth in pole bending.

The daily rodeo performances are at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. The first go ends after Wednesday morning’s performance, while the second go ends after Saturday morning’s performance.

Wyoming State High School Finals Rodeo Results & NHSFR Qualifiers 2026

Wyoming’s contestants and events with their draw

Ryley Alameda – Reined Cow Horse (Mon AM, Thurs PM)

Wade Asay – Reined Cow Horse (Tues PM, Wed AM)

Claire Bilek – Girls Cutting (Mon AM, Fri PM)

Kolton Bonenberger – Bull Riding (Mon PM, Fri AM)

Jace Bowles – Team Roping (Mon AM, Fri PM)

Cooper Brownlee – Shooting Rifle and Shooting Trap

Blue Butler – Breakaway Roping (Mon AM, Fri PM); Goat Tying (Wed AM, Wed PM)

Kolbe Chant – Tie-Down Roping (Sun PM, Sat AM)

Heston Crozier – Shooting Trap

Blake Cushman – Pole Bending (Sun PM, Sat AM)

Karly Davis – Barrel Racing (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Teague Duncan – Saddle Bronc (Tues PM, Thurs AM)

Memphis Erdman – Shooting Rifle

Hays Espenscheid – Team Roping (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Kendrie Ewing – Barrel Racing (Wed AM, Wed PM)

Ellie Feathers – Shooting Rifle

Kashley Fornstrom – Barrel Racing (Tues PM, Thurs AM)

Kade Fraley – Saddle Bronc (Mon PM, Fri AM)

Landon Gold – Team Roping (Sun PM, Sat AM); Steer Wrestling (Wed AM, Wed PM)

Teague Goodman – Steer Wrestling (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Tanner Griemsman – Team Roping (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Cody Hayden – Boys Cutting (Mon AM, Fri PM)

Rhame Hicks – Goat Tying (Sun PM, Sat AM)

Stone Hooten – Shooting Trap

Coe Hornbuckle – Barrel Racing (Wed AM, Wed PM)

Carter Hutchison – Steer Wrestling (Tues PM, Thurs AM); Tie-Down Roping (Sun PM, Sat AM); Reined Cow Horse (Mon AM, Thurs AM)

Kress Johnson – Team Roping (Mon AM, Fri PM)

Taylor Kimzey – Shooting Rifle

Emma Martin – Pole Bending (Mon PM, Fri AM)

Bella Martinson – Breakaway Roping (Mon PM, Fri AM)

Anna McQueeney – Girls Cutting (Sun PM, Sat AM)

Raden Miller – Steer Wrestling (Mon AM, Fri PM)

Taten Mills – Team Roping (Mon PM, Fri AM)

Owen Monfeldt – Bull Riding (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Ashtyn Noland – Reined Cow Horse (Mon PM, Thurs AM)

Keon Norris – Bareback Riding (Tues PM, Thurs AM)

Riggin Pearce – Bull Riding (Tues PM, Thurs AM)

Bridger Peil – Tie-Down Roping (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Karly Peterson – Girls Cutting (Mon PM, Fri AM)

Nathan Peterson – Boys Cutting (Tues PM, Thurs AM)

Trenton Rogers – Bareback Riding (Wed AM, Wed PM)

Rickie Jo Rourke – Goat Tying (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Tuf Scarborough – Saddle Bronc (Sun PM, Sat AM)

Ty Scarborough – Saddle Bronc (Wed AM, Wed PM)

Stetson St. Clair – Bull Riding (Wed AM, Wed PM); Team Roping (Sun PM, Sat AM)

Whitney Tarver – Team Roping (Mon PM, Fri AM)

Emeree Tavegie – Pole Bending (Mon AM, Fri PM)

Dylan Thar – Breakaway Roping (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Hadley Thompson – Breakaway Roping (Mon AM, Fri PM); Pole Bending (Tues PM, Thurs AM); Goat Tying (Wed AM, Wed PM)

Cruz Viles – Team Roping (Mon AM, Fri PM)

Tuf Weber – Shooting Trap

The Light Rifle competition is on Tuesday, July 21, and the Short Go is on Wednesday, July 22 at 1:30 p.m. The Trap Shooting competition is on Thursday, July 23, and the Short Go is on Friday, July 24 at 8 a.m. The Reined Cow Horse event will start on Monday, July 20, and go through Thursday, July 23, each day at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. The Reined Cow Horse Championship Short Go is on Friday at 4 p.m. The Cutting Events start on Sunday at 7 p.m., then will run at 9 a.m. from Monday through Friday. The 12th Cutting performance is Saturday, July 25 at 8 a.m. The Cutting Championship Short Go is on Saturday at 2 p.m.