OPENING SHOT Attitude adjustment Photo: by Daniel Lindhardt Gear: Sony A7RIII Settings: 1/500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 800 T he rut for ungulates is an exciting time as a wildlife photographer. It provides some of the most interesting behavior, and often at closer range than other times of the year. Late November and early December is rut season for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. These sheep can ram heads together all year long, but it frequently occurs during the rut when they fight for dominance over ewes. The bighorn sheep in Grand Teton National Park are no different. Around late November, ewes come into heat and rams fight for the right to mate. I was in the area a couple years ago to photograph some of that behavior. As I watched a group of ewes make their way across an open field, I saw this ram up the hill lift his head and curl his lip in an effort to pick up pheromones from the females. Apparently he picked up a scent he liked. He dropped his head and aggressively charged down the hill, posturing to show the smaller rams he was in charge. That's the kind of behavior I was after. I got him in frame and started snapping photos as he charged down the hill. This frame became my favorite of the sequence because of the attitude shown, the body position and the clean, mountain background. He was definitely the star of the show that day. 6 | January 2023