Big, Bold Rams In Rocky Mountain National Park | Estes Valley Spotlight | estesparknews.com

By: Brad Manard It’s been a while since I’ve seen a large group of bighorn sheep rams in RMNP. It seems they used to be around more, the rams with bold chests and lifted heads standing proud like a sculpture on a rock. Luckily, in the past couple of weeks, six magnificent rams have come down from the mountain top. As with this year, back on June 3, 2021 I captured a large group near Sheep Lakes. I remember they strode down the mountain, crossed the road in a nervous rush, and reached the lakes where they often feed in the early summer. Upon their return to the mountainside, a group of four rams came striding over the slight hill between the lakes and parking area. It was as if they were warriors returning triumphantly from battle. It’s still one of my favorite bighorn images. That same year, during the bighorn rut, I traveled into Big Thompson Canyon to find several frolicking rams and ewes bounding about the rocky cliffs. They were muscular with their curled horns and thick 300 pound bodies. As they worked the cliff, I’m sure they were wondering what the old but sometimes wise guy with the
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