Big horns are getting scarce out here in the Western Deserts..
Thanks, Larry. And the desert bighorns are becoming even scarcer this year because of the pneumonia epidemic in the Mojave Reserve--reportedly because the native bighorns are not resistant to the diseases of domestic sheep, and someone dumped sick domestic sheep in the Reserve.
Beautiful images - how hard are these to approach?
Thanks, Klaus. In most circumstances the bighorns stay way beyond camera range, and all you see is their departing rumps. The trick is to not to approach them at all; let them approach you. I watched as this group of bighorns fled two aggressive photographers. One thought he could run them down (on foot) to get closer shots. The other advanced more slowly, but his spouse kept yelling at him from a distance, as though the bighorns were deaf. Luckily for me, this group of bighorns chose a rocky hill for resting/chewing cud between grazing bouts on the desert floor, and I was able to hike around the base of the hill, anticipating their next moves. Seeing that they chose shady ledges for resting, I waited near these locations until they showed up. I kept my distance, stayed relatively still in their presence, and made no aggressive advances towards them. They quickly accepted me. I always wore the same clothes so they could more easily recognize me each time I arrived. To my big advantage, the lead ewe became especially accepting, resting and grazing within about 50 feet of me at times, even though I was standing out in the open. The ram and other flock members followed her example. It was such an interesting experience that I kept forgetting to push the shutter button.
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Doug and Cathy
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Yup....#2 is quite nice!
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Big horns are getting scarce out here in the Western Deserts..
Thanks, Larry. And the desert bighorns are becoming even scarcer this year because of the pneumonia epidemic in the Mojave Reserve--reportedly because the native bighorns are not resistant to the diseases of domestic sheep, and someone dumped sick domestic sheep in the Reserve.