Battle of the Bighorn Sheep: Today’s Wildlife Watching in Yellowstone

Bighorn sheep battle in Yellowstone, 12/15/10 (photo by Beth Pratt)

As Teddy Roosevelt would have exclaimed, I had a “bully” wildlife day. On my morning drive I was lucky enough to encounter two magnificent bighorn sheep rams tussling along the banks of the Gardner River in Yellowstone. 

From the road, I had ringside seats to this dramatic dominance match. A bighorn’s horns can weigh up to 40 pounds and the animals can clash at speeds of over 40 mph. Although rams can be left a bit battered after the rut season (some battles can last 24 hours), serious injury is rare because of their natural shock system of a honeycomb horn base and perfectly aligned spine. Their system is so effective that automobile companies study the bighorn to help design better collision resistant material for automobiles.

For more photos and a video of the bighorn sheep rut, see my article "Fall wildlife watching in Yellowstone: the bighorn sheep rut"

Here’s a collection of photos from today’s battle.

Fall wildlife watching in Yellowstone: the bighorn sheep rut

Sighting one of the nimble and graceful bighorn sheep performing a gravity-defying ballet on a rocky cliff is one of the chief delights for visitors to Yellowstone. About 300 bighorn live within the park, with most inhabiting the northern range.  Mt. Washburn and the Gardner Canyon (between Mammoth and the North Entrance) are good areas for frequent viewings of the bighorn sheep. 

While leaping from ridge to ridge, the bighorn sheep—especially the rams—carry a heavy load. An adult ram’s horns can weigh up to forty pounds and account for 8-12 percent of its body weight. Horns also denote social status in males, with the general rule being the bigger the horn the higher the ranking.

In November the bighorn sheep rut begins and as far as clashes go, the bighorn are pretty civilized. The rams “huddle” in a group showing off their horns and sizing each other up. If a subordinate does not concede, a dominant ram may assume the “low stretch” stance that indicates power. Then suddenly, the two rams may surge toward each other and clash in a dramatic crashing of heads and horns. Yet the incident ends very quickly and the rams may resume grazing or resting next to each other immediately after the fight

Last year I was lucky enough to observe a large bighorn herd during the rut. My favorite stance was the lip curl, a bighorn “funny face” made after a ram smells an ewe in order to determine her reproductive status. After the rams had fought for some time, the females moved near the huddle as if to say, “enough silly fighting!” Many of the eager males followed the ewes, strolling behind with their lips curled and heads lifted proudly in the air.

For all their abundance in Yellowstone, bighorn sheep in our country face many threats. Theodore Roosevelt is generally credited with bringing the sheep back from the brink of extinction in the early 1900s. Habitat erosion and climate change pose challenges for the bighorn. Exposure to livestock and even humans also put bighorns at the risk of contagious disease. A pink-eye epidemic in Yellowstone in 1982 decreased the park’s bighorn sheep population by almost 60%, but the animals have been slowly recovering at a rate of 7% growth since 1998.

Around the Park in Fourteen Days: A Photo Essay

The last couple of weeks I have been traveling in a mad rush around Yellowstone as part of my work, but I made time for capturing some springtime photographs.  

Yellowstone LakeCecropia Moth

Three Bighorn LambsBlack Bear near TowerWatching Old Faithful Erupt from the Crow's NestSnowshoe Hare in motionBison Grazing in Hayden ValleyGrizzly Near Washburn

Frogs 0, Grizzlies 5, Osprey 2, Bighorn 21, Bison & Elk >100

My quest in Yellowstone today--a search for the boreal chorus and columbia spotted frogs. I ventured out to Lamar Valley and wandered around dozens of wetlands and ponds. Those little guys remained elusive--at least by sight--as I listened to the distinctive call of the chorus frog at several ponds.

Despite the lack of frog sightings, my travels in the park were not in vain as my photo diary below demonstrates. I encountered five grizzly bears, observed bighorn and bison mingling, watched a red-winged blackbird bathing, and an osprey fly over the Lamar River. I also spent a delightful hour watching the most adorable bison calves play together--you can view the video below, but beware as you may overdose on cuteness!

Bison Fun

Video: Bison Friends Playing in Yellowstone

Spring in Lamar Valley

Grizzly Near Slough Creek

Bee on Wyoming Kitten-Tails

Bison Skull and Horn

Beartooth Range

American Coot

Osprey in Flight

Red-winged Blackbird Bathing

A Spring Hike in Yellowstone: A Photo Essay

Spring is earned in Yellowstone, and both the people and wildlife alike greet the melting of the snow and the rising of the temperatures with a sense of accomplishment. For us humans, winter’s chill poses discomfort; for the animals of Yellowstone, it can threaten their survival—especially for its ungulate populations. Foraging for food underneath the deep cover of snow is tough even in the mildest of winters; Dr. James Halfpenny, in one of his classes, compared it to eating cereal all summer, then having to survive on the cereal box all winter.

This past Sunday I took a hike along the Rescue Creek trail and encountered an abundance of wildlife also appreciating the warm sunshine.

Bighorn Sheep Rut in Yellowstone

Yesterday I wrote about the graceful ballet of the bighorn—their scaling almost effortlessly high ridges and cliffs. Today, I spent three hours perched on a hillside watching another fascinating bighorn sheep behavior—the rut.

I had only planned to take a short hike today as I had much work to do, so I headed up the nearby shoulder of Mt. Everts for a little exercise. When I ascended a ridge, a large herd of bighorn appeared in the distance. So much for a quick hike—I settled down to watch. From my seat, I observed rams tussling for dominance and heard the accompanying gunshot of their clashing. Nearby, a large number of ewes and lambs grazed or napped unconcerned—I suppose they have become accustomed to these battles.

As far as clashes go, the bighorn are pretty civilized. The rams “huddle,” in a group showing off their horns and sizing each other up. If a subordinate does not concede, a dominant ram may assume the “low stretch” stance that indicates power. Then suddenly, the two rams may surge toward each other and clash.

Yet the incident ends very quickly and the rams may resume grazing next to each other immediately after the fight.  I observed one ram settle down for a rest right in front of two sparring males.

My favorite stance was the lip curl, a bighorn “funny face” made after a ram smells an ewe in order to determine her reproductive status. After the rams had fought for some time, the females moved near the huddle as if to say, “enough silly fighting!” Many of the eager males followed the ewes, strolling behind with their lips curled and heads lifted proudly in the air.

For all their abundance in Yellowstone, bighorn sheep in our country face many threats. Theodore Roosevelt is generally credited with bringing the sheep back from the brink of extinction in the early 1900s. Habitat erosion and climate change pose challenges for the bighorn. Exposure to livestock and even humans also put bighorns at the risk of contagious disease. As the park ranger notes in my prior post, this is one of the reasons approaching wildlife and being closer than 25 yards to an animal (100 yards for bears and wolves) is forbidden in the park.

I also took some video footage of the rut. Sorry-the wind is loud, but if you listen carefully at the end you'll hear the "gunshot" of two rams clashing.

A Bighorn Sheep Ballet

Bighorn Sheep Near Mt. EvertsLast spring, I climbed the shoulder of Mt. Everts and stopped to eat lunch. As I sat comfortably on a boulder munching a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a large herd of bighorn sheep descended from a ridge behind me and to my surprise surrounded me. Curious, but not frightened, they began to forage near my resting place. I sat still, not wanting to frighten the animals (and not being able to walk through the herd) and waited until they passed. My astonishment prevented me from finishing my lunch—I remained almost motionless and utterly transfixed as I watched these magnificent animals for an hour before they moved to greener pastures.

So began my absolute enchantment with bighorn sheep. 

A bighorn sighting eluded me during my twenty years hiking in the Sierra Nevada; my closest encounter came when ranger Dick Ewart and I discovered bighorn tracks at the top of the Granite Divide in Yosemite. The naturalist Jack Laws and I also embarked on a failed mission in search of the sheep outside of Bishop that resulted in a drowned Subaru but no bighorn.

Bighorn on Gardner RiverYellowstone, however, has no shortage of the animal. When I traveled to the park for my job interview last fall, I drove through Gardiner and suddenly slammed on my brakes in amazement as I saw six bighorn resting on the side of the road.

Since moving to Yellowstone, I’ve been fortunate enough to observe the bighorn frequently as they spend most of the year roaming the hillsides and ridges adjacent to my home.

Last week I spent an hour gazing at the bighorn sheep as they danced on the cliffs in the Gardner River Canyon—a graceful ballet with nature as the stage. As Dale Toweill notes in his book Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep:

“Like a ballerina, bighorns walk on the tips of two toes. Their outer hooves are modified toenails, exquisitely shaped to grip any slight protrusion, while the base of the foot---the end of the toe—forms a soft pad that conforms to each surface preventing slippage. The cone-shaped foot is tightly wrapped with tendons, transferring the pressure from the hoof to the muscular legs—a marvel of engineering.”

Watch these impressive animals scale the cliffs in my video of the bighorn ballet:

The bighorn sheep, rams especially, carry a heavy load while leaping from ridge to ridge. An adult ram’s horns can weigh up to forty pounds and account for 8-12 percent of its body weight. Horns also denote social status in males, with the general rule being the bigger the horn the higher the ranking.

Although many consider the curled horn the most striking feature of a bighorn, I have to cast a vote for their golden-orange eyes. When a bighorn gazes at me with its peaceful, curious visage, those wide-set, ancient eyes calm my spirit. The gentle gaze is misleading, however, as bighorns consider staring bad manners or an indication of threatening behavior.

Mount Washburn

I invite you to join me on my amazing hike up Mount Washburn. The Anderson’s, in their book A Ranger’s Guide to Yellowstone Day Hikes, advise that, “If you can hike only one trail in Yellowstone, it should be Mount Washburn.” The authors also quote a description of the peak from a early park visitor:

"If I could only choose one sight in the wonderland, it would be, by all means, that view from the top of Mount Washburn for you see there the entire park spread out before you in a single picture."

On my drive to the trailhead, I rise over Dunraven Pass, awash with yellow flowers, and obtain a great view of the summit of Mt. Washburn. It’s original name might have been Elephant’s Back, but in 1870 the Washburn Expedition named it for General Henry Dan Washburn, leader of “one of the most important early explorations of Yellowstone,” according to Whittlesey’s Yellowstone Place Names. Dunraven Pass, 8,859 feet in elevation, bears the namesake of the First Earl of Dunraven, an Oxford educated man who was once guided in his explorations of the west by Buffalo Bill.

Early on my hike, I encounter a yellow-bellied marmot munching on a tree limb.

As I turn a corner, I see the Lookout Tower on the summit of Washburn. I also pass bouquets of the exquisite Sky Pilot gathered among the volcanic rocks.

At the top of Mt Washburn, 10,243 feet, I gaze at the spectacular 360 degree view of the park.

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Hayden Valley and the Grand Tetons in the distance

While I munch on my Luna Bar, a herd of bighorn sheep--with several lambs--join me.

One bighorn ewe gazes at me inquisitively, perhaps wondering why I am munching on a chocolate bar when so many yummy grasses surround me.

A lamb considers me as well, as two others graze nearby.

Something catches an ewe’s attention, which turns out to be a mother and lamb running to catch up with the herd.

On the return trip, I stop to smell the flowers: paintbrush and silky phacelia

A "Bully" Day

I won’t be premature again in declaring the official arrival of spring in Yellowstone, but today’s weather definitely displayed characteristics of non-winter. I spent the day basking in the sunshine and viewing wildlife; to quote one of my favorite historical figures, Teddy Roosevelt, I had a “bully” day.

I hiked up to the top of a ridge along the Rescue Creek Trail and had a premium seat for wildlife watching. Herds of bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, and mule deer all lingered in the basin, munching on the newly green grass. At times, hikers coming up the trail startled the animals and from my high perch I watched the ballet of these graceful creatures as they galloped across the basin. Seeing a pronghorn in a full run is simply breathtaking. Near my vantage point, a small uinta ground squirrel peered out of some sagebrush, probably having recently emerged from hibernation.

Speaking of hibernation, a much larger mammal has emerged from its winter slumbers as well—grizzly sightings in the park have been frequent. Although at first I was fearful about hiking alone in grizzly country, I’ve gotten accustomed to thinking of myself in the middle of the food chain. Not that I’m entirely comfortable, but at least I haven’t been forced to give up my cherished solitary wanderings (I realize the behavior is risky, but so is driving a car). We’ll see how I feel once I’ve had my first encounter with a 600 lbs bear. On a positive note, I’ve discovered that hiking in the vicinity of large predators has made me more observant—out of necessity—yet I see more of what nature has to offer with my heightened level of awareness.

So many good wildlife sightings today—here’s a collage.

Big Horn Bonanza

A small herd of bighorn sheep gathered near the side of the road during my morning commute, and I took a few minutes to observe them. Being late to work because of a wildlife encounter is an acceptable excuse in Yellowstone!

Mt. Everts and Bighorn Sheep

As I write this entry in my home office, a large furry head at the window startled me. About a dozen bison are grazing in my front yard and wandering around the house in search of better foraging.

Another gorgeous spring day and the temperature reached 65F. I hummed John Denver’s “Sunshine on My Shoulders,” and the Beatles, “Here Comes the Sun” on my hike up the shoulder of Mt. Everts in honor of the spring weather (and also needing to make noise as a grizzly precaution). Note to mom--I have been good about carrying bear spray on my excursions.

I went in search of bighorn sheep since they’ll be heading back to the higher elevations before too long as spring deepens. My luck was good: while munching on a Luna bar on a break, two sheep strolled over a ridge and began grazing about fifty feet away.

These animals lacked the striking curled horns and were either ewes or yearling rams. An adult ram’s horns, the size an indication of dominance and rank, can account for up to 12% of the animal’s body weight.

For the rest of the afternoon, I continued to hike on the rolling hills in the basin along Mt. Everts, and studied the plethora of animals tracks, scat, and bones in the area. Mt. Everts was named for Truman C Everts, who was lost in 1870 for 37 days in the Yellowstone wilderness until Yellowstone Jack, a colorful adventurer, found him.

From my vantage point I also had a good view of Bunsen Peak (pictured at left), named for the noted chemist and physicist, Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, who invented the Bunsen gas burner and was the first scientist to take a serious interest in geyser activity.

Winter Ecology

Today I played hooky from work--with the approval of my boss--and attended a Yellowstone Association class, Skis Across Yellowstone. Dr. James Halfpenny (Jim) taught the class and literally wrote the book on our subject matter--his Winter: An Ecological Handbook is one of the definitive works on winter ecology.

An amazing naturalist and educator with over a thirty-year history in Yellowstone and a global travel log to be envied, he also runs an ecology education center and museum in Gardiner that offers field courses in Yellowstone and around the world. I'm saving my pennies so I can attend his Polar Bears of the Arctic trip.

The class returned me to my second favorite place on earth (Tuolumne Meadows being my first)--Lamar Valley. After a cozy night in my cabin, I arose early and joined the faithful wolf watching crew (with Rick and his yellow Xterra) at Slough Creek campground. I gazed at members of the Druid pack while they frolicked on Specimen Ridge. One wolf played with what appeared to be a discarded radio collar; another bantered with ravens. Before they trotted off into the forest the pack provided us with a farewell group howl. (Sorry-still no wolf photos--my scope adaptor for my camera is still on order).

After breakfast, Jim led the class on a delightful ski along the base of Barronette peak. We dug snowpits, took temperature and density measurements, and learned terms like depth hoar. I also enthusiastically volunteered to help with counting animal tracks using a really cool GPS device. We observed the tracks of multiple snowshoe hares, grouse, martens, coyotes, moose, and one snowshoer.

On my return trip home I navigated several bison jams and stopped once more at Slough Creek to watch wolves. Near Roosevelt, I turned a corner and suddenly beheld a bighorn sheep not five feet from the road. My failed quest over the weekend had been suddenly realized. I parked the car and got my camera ready. He munched away, and considered me for only a moment before resuming his meal. With my naked eye I could count the ridges on his horns. I was mesmerized and sat on a rock for a half an hour simply watching him nibble forage.

American Serengeti

The northern range of Yellowstone has been dubbed by many the "American Serengeti" due to both the quantity and diversity of the wildlife. And I live right in the prime winter range of this area--creatures venture in my frontyard searching for forage at the lower elevations. I will miss my neighbors in the summer when they head for higher ground as I am now used to an assortment of animals greeting me when I open my door. See photo at right--that's my house and black Subaru amidst the bison, pronghorn and mule deer traffic!

Today I hiked up the Rescue Creek Trail in search of bighorn sheep. I always hoped to see these delightful creatures in my wanderings in the Sierra high country, but the nearest I came was finding their scat on a hike up the Granite Divide. I've been lucky enough to see the bighorn twice since I've been in the park, but they're the one ungulate that doesn't frequent my front yard.

In just a five minute walk from my house, I arrived in a beautiful basin over 6,000 feet. I stopped frequently to scope out the ridge with my binoculars, and to watch the elk and pronghorn I encountered. I climbed up Rattlesnake Butte for a view of the Yellowstone River canyon, and tried to create an interesting backstory for the adjacent Turkey Pen Peak. For fifteen minutes I stood and observed two resting pronghorn antelope, but the bighorn sheep remained elusive.