Bighorn sheep at the National Elk Refuge, Wyoming. December, 2023.
Seeing these two rams sparring brought back memories of when Kate and I moved to Jackson Hole, just a little over five years ago now. When we first moved here, in September of 2018, we lived for a few months at the National Elk Refuge’s employee housing area, just a couple miles down the road from where I made this photo. I remember one morning that fall I stepped out onto our porch to enjoy my morning coffee and heard noises in the distance, loud cracks that almost sounded like gunshots, and repeated every few minutes. Later that morning, I drove down the National Elk Refuge Road and discovered the source of the noises—it was the sound of the rams butting heads with each other.
I’ve never forgotten that; it was my first memorable wildlife experience in the Tetons. In five years, I don’t think I’ve ever managed to successfully photograph that decisive moment of two rams clashing into each other, but I rather like this photo of the bigger, older ram effortlessly swatting away the younger one’s charge with his leg. After a couple unsuccessful attempts at challenging the older ram, the younger ram walked away dejectedly while the older one went on his merry way with an ewe that was standing just outside the frame.