Canadian Rockies Wildlife

Bighorn Sheep Boss Receives a Challenger During the Rutting Season

A Younger Energetic Bighorn Ram showed up yesterday to Challenge this Areas' Bighorn Boss for Dominance. While Bighorn Rams are not shy about displaying their dominance, they are quite intelligent with calculating the effort needed to brush off a new Challenge to their mating rights. They can be very patient with harassment before committing fully into a dangerous battle. If Ram battles are very long, they often attract attention from any nearby predators as it is common for exhaustion or injuries to create an opportunity. The loud noise generated by the head butting can echo quite far in Canada's Rocky Mountain valleys. This Ram battle took place at dusk with tricky lighting and very heavy wind conditions to overcome. It likely went on much longer into the evening. This Bighorn Boss remains the dominant Male in this particular spot today.