Two Days With the Sheep 02/11-12/11

Prezwoodz

So John and I went back out sheep hunting, hunting with our lenses anyway and it was quite the day for it. Windy, snowy, cold and visibilty was slim. Driving down the highway we looked up the cliffs and found a few sheep eating away. So we drove further on and headed up the hill to try and get on a high ridge point above the sheep. Walking through the woods was nice because it gave us the opportunity to be out of the wind. As we neared a highpoint we decided it was a good time to take our cameras out.

John and Shasta getting ready.


We hiked up a while and found a few sheep high above us. To make a long story short here John went up and got lots of great photos while we sort of kept them occupied on us. Then we walked around the mountain and met back up at a different area. As we were walking around we walked right into a few more! Can you see the Sheep in the photo?



Sometimes to photography Dall Sheep you have to become sheep!


At this point Shasta and Tracy headed back so Shasta could get to work and I decided to sneak up on a group. I don't think they see me....


I very stealthly walked around boulders and trees and popped my head over where they should be and.......nothing. They were gone. It was a bit sad since it took me quite a while to sneak up on them! So I decided to walk another 20 feet and look over a little cliff and at my feet I saw...



Any closer and I could have gone for a ride!


They continued along their way not caring much for me.


We went on our way as well to head back to the car. It was getting a bit cold and we had followed them enough.


The next day was beautiful! The weather decided to turn blue and I went green with envy for all those outside. Then I decided I didn't like being envious and I packed my gear to go pull some bolts along the Seward Highway. I found the cliff I wanted to work on and walked around it for a bit looking for the possibilities and just wasn't feeling it. The wind was kicking up and the temperatures were dropping, it was probably about 5 degrees at the most. So I decided to drive somewhere with some trees. As I was leaving I looked above the cliff and there were a bunch of Rams! I was wondering where all the rams were as we had only seen the ewes and babies the day before. Well here they were and I wasn't going to miss my opportunity. I grabbed my camera and dove into the trees. Everything about the day was filled with beauty from the trees, to the sky, to the unnatural wonders.


This time I was able to get above the sheep and came up right in a good spot for the first ram.


Although this one really didn't seem happy to see me!


He kept munching his way through the berries and bushes and stayed in a circle away from me.


Finally him and his buddy got together above me. I backtracked and spent the next 35 minutes bushwhacking to get above them and when I finally came out I was right next to them!



Now I noticed they don't mind being above you so they ran up to a higher point.




They are very powerful and amazing climbers.




and their house has the best view!


And I think he knows it.


Bit of a crop for the last photo. I love Alaska.

Travel

Nice shots!

Bman

The title lead me to believe you were on a ranch in New Zealand. Lol. Nice healthy male you captured. Well captured.

coldclimb

Alright I'll throw mine in here too. I figured with all that sun on Saturday you must have been having fun out there, but it was definitely a bit colder!

I'll start mine out on the pavement. This is one of Alaska's many roadside attractions.




Then began the long and sneaky crawl to the top of the ridge. After first sighting the sheep, I split from the group and crawled through some steep brush following sheep trails until I reached the ridgeline. Periodically, a sheep would peer over the ridge, letting me know they knew something was coming, if not exactly what. It's hard to be quiet in frozen bushes, but I did my best as I gradually got closer, and finally broke out of the shrubbery and onto the rocky ridge. At this point I ditched my backpack and crept slowly higher, being certain to make as little noise as possible. Tension built as I reached the last rocky prominence before I felt I should have a view of the goal. I paused for a moment, and glanced to my left...





Doh!!!

A bit of maneuvering got me above a small group of ewes and lambs, where I snagged a few shots as they moved away from the leering paparazzi above them.




Instead of disappearing over the next ridge as is typical, however, they paused and looked back, and simply stood there. At length I gave up on the shot I wanted - the group skylined on a ridge - and headed back to the small tree where I stashed my camera gear. No need to worry about theft, I found, one of the lambs stuck around to keep an eye on things for me.




As I found the little guy, so did the rest of the group, having returned to keep track of their missing member.




And then they obligingly lined up for the shots I had in mind.












I moved in closer as they settled down, evidently less concerned about the stranger with the camera.



And this time they let me get within about fifteen meters before they let me know what they thought of me.




Following them around the ridge again, I finally spotted and rendezvoused with Kelsey again, and as the girls wandered back to the road, we kept an eye on the sheep.




And for a final shot, here's Kelsey sneaking his way closer to the group behind a small jutting piece of rock. Somehow they still know he's there though. The one in view is just leaving, and from my vantage point I watched Kelsey continue his careful sneaking for another several minutes before he figured that out.




Hope you all enjoy! Sorry for the yellowness, things looked a whole lot more properly color balanced while I was editing!

M38A1

Those are amazing captures.

I believe what intrigues me the most is the focal length of 135mm indicating you aren't all that far from these animals in the first place.

coldclimb

M38A1 wrote: »

Those are amazing captures.

I believe what intrigues me the most is the focal length of 135mm indicating you aren't all that far from these animals in the first place.

We can't afford nice glass, so we have to substitute sneakiness.

Roaddog 52

Great images and great stories. Thanks for posting them and allowing us to be there vicariously through your images.

M38A1

coldclimb wrote: »

We can't afford nice glass, so we have to substitute sneakiness.

That right there is classic signature line material.

.

kdog

Wow. Awesome scenery and adventure. Two thumbs up!

choudhrysaab

looks like you put in a lot of effort to take these pix and i'm sure you're very happy that they turned out SO GOOD! great job.