“Shootin' the Sheep”
By D. Robert & Lorri Franz
Lorri and I had located a herd of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep just east of Yellowstone National Park along the Shoshone River . Two majestic bighorn rams of equal size were going through all the ritualistic posturing right before our very eyes. Lorri and I were ready. Our camera exposures were calculated and set for plenty of shutter speed to stop the action. We were in the best spot to witness as well as capture one of nature's most awesome spectacles, the violent dominance battle of the bighorn sheep. As the rams slowly separated, always keeping their eyes on one another, we knew the battle was about to begin. The two rams reared up on there hind legs and began the charge toward each other. We laid on the motor drives and fired away only to be disappointed with our results. It was merely a bluff charge, the rams stopped dead after a step or two.
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There are four species of wild sheep in North America . The Dall sheep is white in color, lives in the high mountains of northwest Canada and throughout Alaska , and can be seen and photographed in Denali and Kluane National Parks among other locations. The stone sheep is a dark phase of the Dall sheep and are primary located in the Yukon and British Columbia and are the most difficult of the 4 species to find and photograph. The desert bighorn sheep lives primarily in the desert southwest in Utah , New Mexico , Arizona , California and northern Mexico . They can be viewed and photographed in locations such as Death Valley National Park , and Anzo Borrego State Park in California , Lake Mead in Nevada , and Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona . The Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep is the most common of the wild sheep and resides in the mountains as far north and west as British Columbia and Alberta and as far south as northern New Mexico . Photography hotspots include Banff , Jasper, and Waterton National Parks in Canada and Glacier, Yellowstone , and Rocky Mountain National Parks in the United States
Photographing North America 's wild sheep can be an inspirational and rewarding experience. Each of the different varieties of bighorn sheep live in some of the most spectacular mountain habitat in North America . Just making the trek to visit the ruggedly beautiful country in which the sheep reside is a worthwhile endeavor. Spending time in this pristine environment watching and photographing these fascinating animals is one the greatest thrills in wildlife photography.
A Bighorn sheep's life is comprised of a complex social hierarchy and they exhibit an abundance of interesting behaviors which often times produce excellent photographic opportunities. During the autumn mating season, you may even be fortunate enough to witness and photograph an amazing fight between two rams. Sheep often feed and rest on high exposed areas surrounded by stunning mountain backdrops, which make for wonderful animal in the landscape images. The incredible blue skies of the high alpine habitat also make for great backgrounds for your sheep images.
Bighorn sheep migrate seasonally which is an important factor to keep in mind when searching for them. Throughout the summer months sheep prefer the cooler alpine habitat above or near timberline and thus it is much more difficult to access them for photography during this time. The female sheep, or ewes, give birth in late May and June on rugged cliffs in order to protect the lambs from predators. The cliffs near Tower Falls in Yellowstone National Park are just such a location and ewes with lambs can regularly be seen and photographed there. Also, in the summer you may be rewarded with some excellent sheep photography by taking a moderate hike up the Specimen Ridge Trail near Roosevelt Junction. Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park and Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park provide access to the high alpine environment too. Careful searching and moderate hiking will get you to the sheep either of these locations.
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During the winter bighorn sheep migrate to lower elevations in search of food and shelter from the harsh winter conditions. South facing slopes with plenty of grass and sparse trees are preferred by the sheep. On the winter range the most interesting and photographable behaviors take place during the mating season which is commonly called the rut. The rut can start in early November and run through December. The bighorns are much more accessible and easier to photograph during this time. You can easily find these wintering grounds in Jasper and Banff , near Gardiner in Yellowstone , near Georgetown and Estes Park in Colorado and many other areas throughout the west.
In most locations the bighorn sheep are quite tolerant of photographers. In the national parks they basically ignore you and go about their business. As with all wildlife a slow and careful approach will allow you to photograph the animals undisturbed. We always try to stay on the downhill side of sheep as they are used to looking for danger from below and as long as they can see you everything is fine. If you happen to approach from above the sheep would most likely spook.
Being animals of the high country, sheep look more natural when photographed from below. We have found that zoom lenses such as the 70-200mm, 70-300mm, 100-400mm, 200-400mm range are ideal for bighorn sheep photography. The zoom will allow you to zoom out for action and wildlife in the landscape images and then zoom in for tight portraits. For fighting shots a shutter speed of at least 1/500 th is required to stop the motion so you will need to set your ISO accordingly. Whenever possible set up parallel to the fighting sheep, this will make focusing much easier. Most Bighorn sheep are darker than mid tone and if you spot meter the side of the sheep you will have to take away about a half stop of light. We love photographing the sheep in the snow. Using evaluative metering on our Canon cameras we have to add anywhere from 1/3 to 1 full stop of exposure depending on how large the sheep is in the frame.
The two agitated rams again went through their ritualistic posturing in preparation for the battle. Lorri and I readied ourselves again, hoping for a full blown fight this time. As the rams again reared up to battle we fired away. The rams clashed heads with a tremendous clap, they stood there for a moment dazed trying to regain their senses, all of which we were able to photograph. We quickly checked the images we had just taken on the LCD screen of our cameras and everything looked good. The rams fought 4 more times before they settled their differences, went their separate ways, and we went home absolutely delighted.
