Lanai Mouflon Sheep

Lanai Mouflon Sheep | Our friend Steve recently arrowed this 30+ inch Monsta Mouflon Sheep on the Island of Lanai. Get in touch with Bowhunt Hawaii if you are interested in this hunt as there are year-round opportunities for Lanai Mouflon. This is one of the most challenging spot-and-stalk hunts in Hawaii for some of the only pure-bred Mouflon sheep available in the United States.

Common Names: muflone (Italian), Corsican mouflon, European mouflon, musimon, musmon, Sardinian mouflon, mufi (Hawaii)
Genus: Ovis
Species: musimon

The mouflon is thought to be one of two original ancestors of all modern day sheep. It originated on the islands of Corsica, Sardina, and Cyprus, but has recently been introduced in much of Europe. Like most wild sheep, the mouflon lives in mountainous terrain, usually above the tree line or in mountain meadows. In Corsica it lives on steep-sided rocky peaks, where it is protected from predators.

It has a red-brown color with a dark area along its back, and lighter colored side patches. Its underparts are white as well as the bottom half of their legs. It has a white muzzle and white circles around its eyes. The males and females have horns, but those of the males are larger. The curved, spiral horns are usually around 25 inches in length and are arch back over its head. The mouflon’s horns don’t flare out at the end as most wild sheep’s do. The size of a male mouflon’s horns determine his status in the group.

A Lanai mouflon Sheep is about the size of a medium sheep with a weight range of 55-120 pounds. They are 4-5 feet long, and stand about 2-4 feet tall at the shoulders. They have a rough coat that provides amazing camo against Hawaiian red dirt and lava rock.

The males and females live in separate groups and only come together during mating season. The ewes will usually have the better foraging grounds because their health is more important for reproduction. Mouflon mate, or go through a rut, in late autumn. The rams’ dominance is determined by his age and the size of his horns. They will crash their horns together to re-enforce dominance. The ewes don’t mate until they are about 2-3 years old. Males don’t mate until they are about 7 years old because they have to establish a strong social standing before being allowed to mate with a female. The ewes are pregnant 210 days and can give birth to either one, or twin lambs. The ewe will go into cover to have her lamb which is up on its feet within minutes after birth.

The Lanai Mouflon Sheep’s diet is tough. Being a herbivore, it grazes on short grasses, heather, and shrubs. It has a multi-chambered stomach with special microbes that break down the cellulose of the plant cell walls. After it has eaten its fill, the mouflon will lie down somewhere, and regurgitate its food, chewing it a second time to soften it some more. It then swallows it again for the last time.

If you are interested in a Lanai Mouflon Hunt contact us for more info.