It's been a while since I had a proper bighorn encounter, not for lack of trying however. I've mostly been looking for new herds in unfamiliar territory while between other objectives, but I've also had a long string of unsuccessful local efforts, too.

Although it's still early in the cooler season, I've been watching out at my favorite winter habitat spot just in case anyone shows up early.

While driving in the canyon and scanning the ridges, I spotted a single bighorn high up on the cliffs. I watched for a bit and eventually counted 7 as they drifted through shadows and crevices. The group consisted of mostly ewes but definitely included some young rams that I've not seen before. Some light sparring was taking place, and they were drifting a direction that suggested that they were either heading down to the road for salt/water, or perhaps over to the favorite winter grazing area. Surprisingly, one of the ewes that was sparring in pic 2 would later walk right up to me and sit less than ten feet away for 2 full hours!

I opted to drive about a mile west to try and get into position at the higher grazing grounds. I don't like photographing down near the road, and the deep canyon shadows often make for really tough light conditions anyway.

I parked the car and hiked my way back towards the area where I had last seen the group. I expected it would be a while before I saw any of them, but only a quarter mile into the hike I could see a few heads pop up over the ridge. They were indeed coming my direction, but they were split between heading towards the road and heading higher.

Most of them were lower, but one in particular looked at me in the distance. I stopped and sat down the moment that I saw them, and what happened next is truly incredible. From pic 3 in this post until she sits with me, I don't move an inch. I am using a zoom lens in this sequence, so the shots range from a wider angle of 100mm to zoomed-in shots up to 420mm.

The mature ewe that was looking my direction didn't join her herd in heading to the road, and instead she walked nearly a quarter-mile and sat just a few feet away from me. Perhaps eight feet directly above me was her final resting place. After about an hour, I eventually moved slightly further away so that I could get a better image of her.

I was astonished. She had taken about 10 minutes initially to watch me from a few hundred yards away, and then she just decided to come directly to me in two short minutes. It was insane. She wasn't threatened, she wasn't nervous. She was deliberate and calm. Looking at me throughout her traverse as if to make sure that I could be trusted, or perhaps making sure that I was the same person that she had seen in the past.

I've had a lot of close bighorn encounters, and they've played out in a wide variety of ways. Never before has an individual moved so fast to come to me and never before did they stay with me for over two hours like this. I left at noon and she didn't even stand up or flinch when I got up and left. I wonder how it would have played out if I had stayed all day.

I cannot explain why she chose to do what she did. Does she remember me from the prior two winters? Did she already know exactly what rock she wanted to sit on and I just happened to get there first (and she didn't care that I was there)?? It's so puzzling, and also astonishing to me at the same time. She absolutely knew that I was there. At one point, she even laid her head down on the rock, which is one of the ultimate signs of relaxation when it comes to bighorn sheep. In those and similar images you can see that she's bleeding slightly above the right eyebrow from the sparring in picture 2. Perhaps that's why she joined me instead of her herd?

The rest of the herd eventually got their fill of salt and water, and they worked their way back up the steep terrain. They noticed her on the rock above me, and also noticed me right by her. They seemed reluctant to come join her, and instead they all sat down about 150 feet away eventually.

After being out there for three hours, I desperately needed a meal so I decided to part ways. None of the bighorn moved an inch... although admittedly I am VERY careful about my movements so as not to spook them.

Truly an amazing encounter, even if the animal was just a simple ewe. It's a great sign for the upcoming season with the herd. With any luck, the big boys will show up soon and show me some of the same love.