Friday, February 19, 2010

Bighorn Dance



My apologies for not getting a blog out yesterday. Big trip into Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness Area. More about that later. Just to continue the Bighorn story: The typical bighorn rut begins in November (a couple of months after the elk). But the clashing or butting occasionally takes place at other times during the year as seen in both of these February photos. The young ones above just playing, the older rams below trying to prove who's the boss. Both photos taken at the Oak Creek Wildlife Area on the Eastern side of the Cascades in Washington about 20 miles west of Naches. You can hear the sound of the clashing from quit a distance. It doesn't last long. Usually, just a couple of buts. But, with the males weighing as much as three hundred pounds and their horns as much as 40 pounds it makes for quite a sight. Well worth a side trip if you are in the area in February and early March.

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