I've searched for bighorn several times this year without any notable success, but getting good (and hopefully close-up) shots of them has been a big 2023 objective of mine. Resigned to the fact that they've remained so elusive, my goal today was actually to find a group of rock ptarmigans even though I was again hiking up to the same place I had searched repeatedly for bighorn.

With snow, ice and a lot of vertical gain ahead, I wasn't sure if I'd get far enough to search the same area where I'd seen ptarmigans earlier this year. Fortunately I made good time and the weather was great, so I wasn't in a rush to get back down below treeline. After a much needed break to rehydrate and refuel, I slowly zig-zagged around the the tundra in hopes of seeing the very well camouflaged ptarmigans.

I decided to drift lower in elevation and towards the south for some pictures of Red Deer Lake. I sat down, snapped some images of the lake and scanned the terrain for anything that looked like wildlife. Usually the little objects in the distance that resemble animals are just rocks or vegetation, but I had to do a double-take when I realized there were bighorn sheep about a quarter-mile away.

The ewes (female bighorn) were looking directly at me, and the large ram was resting and facing the other direction. I stayed put and watched as the ewes decided to go over the ridge and down the cliffside. Bighorn now out of sight, I decided to try and find a vantage point of the cliff in hopes of seeing them. Along the way, I realized there were two young rams resting on the edge of the cliff, so I stopped about 300 feet away and waited to think about what I should do next. A few minutes later, one of the rams stood up and he realized I was there. I didn't move for the duration of this encounter, and eventually the group would form nearby and approach to within ~35 feet away from me.

I kept my face and body hidden behind my camera as well hidden as possible, but they of course knew that something different was there. In the past, some animals seem to have a stronger reaction if they see a human face or if I'm standing – so that's one reason I tried to appear as small as possible on the ground, keep my hood over my head and my face behind the camera.

A moment later, the second ram knew something was up so he stood up and started looking at me, too. A second later, both rams looked uphill and three of the first sheep I had seen appeared on the ridge. They had a better view of my whole body, and paused to look at me for a minute before heading downhill to join the younger rams.

The group of five were about 100 yards away, and much to my surprise and delight – the ewes seemed curious about me. Leading the way, with the gentlemen closely following their every move, the ladies walked nearly right at me.

A moment later, a much bigger ram appeared above and the group changed their attention to him. The big ram quickly trotted downhill to join the group and everyone greeted each other. It was amazing to watch the comradery and subtle competition between them. The leaders and hierarchy among them was clear, but I'm sure a fierce challenge to secure mating rights isn't far ahead. The females must be close to entering estrous, as the males were continually smelling and reacting to their scent. The rams were also kicking each other gently (without any aggressive reactions surprisingly). I wondered if I'd see any serious headbutts, but at this point it was just a bunch of friendly bumping horns.

Light was running out and I was still a long ways away from where I had started, so I had to say good-bye to the group. At this point, I decided to stick my head out a little more clearly and I could see their demeanor change as they seemed to figure out that I was human. I stood up and the ewes started to walk away as a result. I didn't want to spook them, so I immediately headed in the opposite direction and back up the mountain as they watched me disappear in the distance.

There had been a third female at first, so I suspect there were potentially several more bighorn just out of sight. This group of six was a treat to photograph up-close and it's one of my favorite encounters of the year.