Dec. 2021 - 22
Bighorn rams have a majestic look to them, no matter the season. (Photo by Bill Sincavage)
" It's like any animal,
you know? You can't
just walk right at them
- they'll walk away.
You have to go a little
bit, stop, wait until they
get comfortable, move
at an angle. I've sat on
a rock and had them fill
in all around me. "
the iconic peak known as the Ramshorn sawed
the horizon of the Absaroka Range. We saw
some anglers on the ice standing 50 feet apart
on a frozen lake. Fishing was the furthest
thing from my mind. We stopped at a salt
lick and Sincavage showed me where sheep
come down and lick minerals by the side of
the road. Their hoof prints were smaller than I
expected. Sincavage said the tracks were mostly
ewes and lambs.
With a bit of difficulty and some
backtracking, Sincavage located a band of
bighorns on one of the steppes. He saw them
with his naked eye; I couldn't. I fussed with
my binoculars. He loaded his camera in a
backpack, and I followed along. For me the
sheep were hard to spot. They were tawny
shapes on a tawny landscape. Finally I saw
movement and their white rumps.
As we approached one of the rams broke
from the herd and sprinted toward us. It was
alarming to see a wild animal dashing at us.
Sincavage kneeled and I did the same. The fullcurl
ram pulled up 50 yards away and lifted his
thick neck. He pulled back his lip and sneered.
The ram held its head high and looked us over,
his eyes rolling and lips peeled back even more.
Eventually he came closer. Sincavage snapped
22 | December 2021
a few photos. Five minutes passed in a sort
of standoff, and I noticed I was grinning the
whole time. The ram wandered off to chase
a ewe, but it was more like he wandered over
and sort of nudged her.
Three ewes then sprinted past. Their hooves
kicked up sand and sage. A ram followed. He
was not mature, not as magnificent as his
full-curl brethren on the steppe. We found
some rocks and sat down. Pretty soon we
were surrounded by a band of 20 rams and
ewes. Some of the ewes were collared and
Sincavage said there was an intense University
of Wyoming study taking place to monitor
the survival of this herd. Once estimated to
hold over 2,500 individuals, the Whiskey
Mountain herd declined in numbers since
the 1990s. Today there are approximately
500 animals. Habitat loss and disease are two
factors that have left this once prominent
band of sheep in serious jeopardy. He also
said lamb survival wasn't great in 2020 and
he worried many of the sheep we watched
might not survive the winter.
The sun was directly above us and there
wasn't a cloud in the sky. Though this is
considered beautiful Wyoming weather, it's not
great for photography as the sunlight causes
Dec. 2021
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dec. 2021
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