Bighorn Closeup

Back to Bighorn Sheep. Bighorn sheep are not easily found. I have spent many a day -- especially, here Arizona looking for them. Been to all the right places, too. The only ones I have found (in Arizona) were in the White Mountains while I was looking for Mexican Grey Wolves. My next trip will be along the Colorado nearer to Lake Meade. And, yet there are places in Canada where the bighorns amble into small towns occasionally, just like elk. Spences Bridge is one town I remember in central British Columbia where I found a small herd of ewes foraging on people's grassy lawns. But, they are also easier to find in Alberta, especially Jasper and Banff National Parks.  I came across a small herd of bighorn sheep about half way up to Medicine Lake in Alberta (Jasper National Park). I found myself among them for a few minutes. There was plenty of greens for them to eat so they weren't particularly bothered by my being there. This old ram in particular became interested - for a minute or so anyway. You can see by the rings on his horns he had been around a number of years. The horns probably weighed 40 pounds. You can also see how the ends are "scraped". This is one of those strange acts of nature where the bighorn must "grind" down the ends of his horns otherwise he wouldn't be able to see. Maybe it is not so strange, though, given that many of us "humans" have to have glasses to see.