Shortly after seeing the first of the Bighorn Sheep in Waterton Canyon, a small group of us were standing on an access road photographing the sheep on the snowy slopes. Movement from our far left caused us to turn our heads in time to see a group of Bighorn Sheep rams chasing a ewe. Here are a few images captured from a sequence of images of the action.
Two of the larger rams were going full-speed in the chase, while a younger ram backed off (for the time):
For a very brief moment, the action seemed to stall on the access road while the rest of the rams (a total of 5) caught up with the two larger rams. Then, without warning, the ewe sprinted off … with the rams in hot pursuit:
What happened next was a lesson in bighorn rut behavior. Tomorrow I will publish a “Fun Friday” post with the bighorns, and then will continue with the amazing story of the bighorn rut.
Photographic Equipment Used:
- Canon 5D Mark 3 body
- Canon EF 100mm-400mm, f/4.5-f/5.6 IS lens + Canon 1.4x TC (shot at 560mm)
- Handheld, with IS “On”
- ISO 200
- Aperture f/8
- Shutter 1/500 sec. to 1/640 sec.