Big Horn Sheep

One of the frustrating things about hauling freight through Jasper National Park was the Big Horn Sheep that used to stand right in the middle of the road licking the salt off of it.  Truckers have to come to a complete stop to avoid hitting one as the replacement cost is in the thousands (rightly so).  Although I understood the rationale and cared enough to follow the rules other truckers saw it as a hinderance to their making money by costing them time. I have heard of a couple of truckers who hit and killed wildlife inside the park and the courts forced them to replace the animal that was lost.

I decided it was time to pull over in one of the many pullouts throughout the park and start taking some photos.  This photograph was taken during the fall rut when the big horn sheep were mating and tending their Ewes.  I got quite a few excellent shots of males testing each others strength and endurance while vying for the females attention.