bigbore442001,
The Texas Dall, Corsican, Black Hawaiian, Painted Desert, Calico and other similar rams are all just different color phases of the same animal, the simple Corsican sheep. This new "species" was created on the YO ranch by Charley Schreiner, Tommy Thompson, Hal Swigget and crew as a "cheap" exotic for those hunters who wanted to experience the "exotic" hunting world but could not afford an axis deer, sable antelope or eland type of animal. They did this by cross breeding several species of sheep and goats to get the coloration they desired with the big horn sheep look in the horns, ever looked at how impressive a pair of Merino or Rambo sheep horns look? Back then you have to remember that the YO was basically the only place in the country where one could go to hunt "exotic" animals. This was even pre-Thompson Temple, who many consider to be the first real competition for the YO's monoply of the exotic hunting business. The name Corsican came about because Charley's wife had just returned from a visit to the Isle of Corsica in the Med. To hear the old timers tell it , they were sitting around enjoying some much deserved liquid refreshment and looking at the results of their breeding program as they fed across a small pasture when one of them said that they would need an exotic sounding name to sell these "damned land maggots" to hunters with. Something that was reminiscent of far away and mysterious places. Thus the name Corsican was chosen. It is also sort of ironic that those sheep that sell for the highest prices today were considered culls in the beginning. For example Tommy Thompson has stated to me that when they first began the breeding program they would sell off or shoot the black rams, what we call Black Hawaiians today, because they did not think that anything but the burnt orange Corsican would sell well. As time has gone on others have added to the breeding mix and thus we now have Painted Desert sheep and Calicos today in addition to the original 4 variations of Corsican, Texas Dall, Black Hawaiian and Mouflon like. Hope this helps shed a little light on some of this for you.