Bighorns of the Big Thompson Canyon

I saw my first Colorado bighorns in the Big Thompson Canyon in mid-August. I am alway hoping to find the biggest rams, but they don’t appear too often until later in the year. The small herds often leave the ridges to reach the Big Thompson River below. After getting a quick drink and possibly snacking on nearby shrubery, they head back to the safety of the rocks. 

During August and early September, all I saw were ewes and lambs. They had shed last year’s winter coats and were sporting their sleek new summer coats. The lambs were already fairly large and were adept at traversing the rocks and slopes of their vertical world. 

By mid-October, some of the mid-sized rams started showing up. This is the first ram I saw this year, taken on October 17.

As the rut progresses, some of the “big boys” show up. The muscles in their necks thicken at this time of the year to absorb the impact of the upcoming head bashing.

Early in the rut, rams often clustered together. It was a time to size each other up with some occasional light head butting. 

A smaller ram can be intimidated by the stare of the larger ram. No head butt required here!

Most of the head butting happen between two rams of approximately the same size. 

This pair of rams found a good spot near the river and butted heads for hours! I was there for around 45 minutes and saw  a dozen or more  of clashes. I heard later the same two were still going at it until almost dark.

The ram on the left is the same first ram I saw back in October. He is easy to identify due to a gimpy back right leg. The injury doesn’t slow him down or inhibit his ability to take on a challenger. 

Several of the larger rams have distinctive horns. Unlike moose, deer, and elk (antlered ungulates), bighorns keep their curled horns for their entire lives. Since good vision is important to the rams, many “broom” off the tips of their horns to help their peripheral vision. They dull the tips by rubbing them against rocks and boulders. Much like fingernails, horn grown is from the skull and not the tips. Once the tip is broomed or broken, it never grows back. Missing chunks, as seen in the photo above, make identifying some of them easier.

The Big Thompson Canon’s terrain is quite varied.  The Narrows, steep, rocky cliffs greet travelers at the mouth of the canyon. The Narrows make up 2 miles of the 22 mile drive between the Dam Store and the Estes Park. Much of the rest of the 20 miles looks similar to the photo above. Bighorns “can be” anywhere along the entire 22 mile section. 

The Big Thompson River twists, turns, and tumbles down the canyon. Highway 34 parallels the river and crosses it numerous times. Fishermen can often be seen testing their skills in the tough pocket water. 

Darla and I spent most of the past 36 years in Jackson Hole, moving to Colorado in July.  During my winters there, I spent a lot of November and December along Miller Butte on the National Elk Refuge. The rut here starts several weeks, or even a month, sooner here than the rut in Jackson Hole. That’s one big difference, but the major difference is the incredible varied terrain here. 

Steep cliffs and rocky slopes make up the bulk of the 22 mile section, but there are a few areas of grass lands. The lower section of Viestenz-Smith Mountain Park is roughly four miles up the canyon and remains open through November 1st.

I have always liked zoom lenses. I enjoy having the option to zoom in on a single ram, or pull back to get more of “the scene”. This is a typical example of the steep slopes in The Narrows.

Once the hierarchy is established, the biggest rams locate and stay with an “in season” ewe. In this photo, the ewe ran down the mountain for a drink, taking the ram with her. The ram was well aware of a slightly smaller challenger lurking above. 

This smaller ram is no match for the big boy in the river bottom below him, but he waits among the boulders for a potential opportunity to mate with the ewe. If the big ram leaves the ewe to chase off another mid-sized ram, he’ll be ready. 

I am sure there are larger rams in the Rockies, but the biggest three or four in the Big Thompson Canyon are plenty big enough!

From what I understand, there are four or five herds in the canyon. One of them is near an elementary school outside the canyon. For better or worse, there is no cell phone service in the canyon, so I never know if something else is going on without driving it for myself. After coming from Jackson Hole, the lack of cell service is slightly refreshing. With cell service, a huge “moose jam” or “bear jam” can happen within only a few minutes. 

I photographed this ram on numerous occasions. He is easy to identify with the open scar on his head. Later, the scar turned into a scab. Unlike the ewes, the bigger rams move up and down the canyon in search of mating opportunities. I saw this ram one day, then again the next. The second time, he was walking down the center of the him 6 miles down the canyon. He crossed the river, climbed the hillside and kept going. 

This photo and the one below show the diversity in the canyon. Of course, the diversity is even more evident if you scroll back up and review the rest of the photos!

We’ve lived in Loveland for roughly 6 months so far. July and August were HOT compared to Jackson Hole. September, October and November were seasonably pleasant. As I get ready to pull out a 2023 calendar, we’ve only had three snowfalls that required us to shovel snow. The white stuff covers the ground for a few days, then melts. At some point in the winter, I am hoping to photograph the big rams against a snow covered rocks in the canyon. When I do, I’ll add a photo or two on this page!

Rocky Mountain National Park is only 30 miles from my home in Loveland. The drive takes me through the Big Thompson Canyon where I have a chance to see not only spectacular scenery, but also Rocky Mountain Bighorns! Continuing into RMNP, there are opportunities to see elk and moose. The area is also home to wild turkeys, bobcats, coyotes, and mountain lions.