Bighorn Rams Poached in Canada's Rockies

Some of these Awesome Bighorn Rams have been Poached in Canada's Rockies this last Month. If you were in this area and have dash cam footage, Please help by sending whatever you have. The Poaching offences took place during Monday October 16th., and Tuesday, Oct 17th. 2023. Thank You for Your Help in Preserving these Incredible Animals!


Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

Bighorns Lambs Growing Fast While Rams are at Light Summer Weight

Bighorn Lambs are growing Fast and becoming more Agile every day, while Rams are close to their lightest weight as they begin putting size back on for the Winter Months and Bighorn Sheep Rutting season.


Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

The Bighorn Sheep Rut

The Bighorn Sheep Rut of 2022. Some awesome Rams and beautiful Ewes were all in fine form during this Year's Bighorn Rutting Season.


Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

Bighorn Sheep Ram Bosses Start Battling During the Rut

These are some of the Largest Bighorn Sheep Rams you will see anywhere. Bighorn Ram Bosses are just beginning to Battle and decide who is King for this Year's Rutting Season. Lots of Rare Vocalizing Growls and some Headbutting as these Big Fellas Ramp Up their efforts for dominance.


Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

Bighorn Sheep Rut Courting

Bighorn Sheep Rams are vigorously Courting Ewes as they come into Estrus during the Rutting Season. A Ewe may only stay in estrus for a very short time during the Rut, so Rams naturally become very active and attentive at these times.


Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

Epic Heavyweight Bighorn Bosses Battle

This is Earlier in the Day.. Part 1 of 2 of Heavyweight Bighorn Bosses Battling. These Bighorn Sheep Rams represent some of the Biggest Rams in Canada's Rocky Mountains. Four of them were in a marathon Head Butting Battle for hours on this day. You can hear lots of vocalizing as these Heavyweights Grunt and Growl at each other while they figure out who the Boss will be going forward. These Bighorn Rutting Season Battles can go on for hours at a time along with Days at a stretch. Bighorn Sheep Ram's skulls and horns experience massive impact loads during ramming. Their structure and materials have adapted through evolution to sustain very large dynamic forces while preventing Brain failures or injury. Bighorn sheep horns are not shed and regrown annually so they can not rapidly heal damage. Sustaining repetitive high impact loads and harsh environments throughout the animal's lifetime is due to their Keratin-based horns that are much tougher than mineralized hard biological materials like bone.


Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

Bighorn Heavyweight Rams Growl and Grapple with Lots of Vocalizing

These Bighorn Sheep Rams represent some of the Biggest Rams in Canada's Rocky Mountains. Four of them were in a marathon Head Butting Battle for hours on this day. You can hear lots of vocalizing as these Heavyweights Grunt and Growl at each other while they figure out who the Boss will be going forward. These Bighorn Rutting Season Battles can go on for hours at a time along with Days at a stretch. We witnessed some of the most heavy impacts we have ever seen with this group of impressive Rams. Bighorn Sheep Rams skulls and horns experience massive impact loads during ramming. Their structure and materials have adapted through evolution to sustain very large dynamic forces while preventing Brain failures or injury. Bighorn sheep horns are not shed and regrown annually so they can not rapidly heal damage. Sustaining repetitive high impact loads and harsh environments throughout the animal's lifetime is due to their Keratin-based horns that are much tougher than mineralized hard biological materials like bone.


Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

Bighorn Rut Cautious Mountainside Mating

Late in the Bighorn Sheep Rut, the two Bighorn Bosses of this area have been well established. You can make out the largest and most dominant Ram as he ascends and moves mountainside, with number two backing down. During the Aggressive Bighorn Rutting season, you can witness death defying battles upon mountain edges, or the kind of cautious respect witnessed here. Early in the Rut, mountain edge battles for mating rights are common, but here, these Bighorns show the intelligence to be cautious and respectful as the largest Bighorn Boss moves up and towards the Ewes to mate.



Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

Bighorn Rut Behavior with Some of the Largest Rams

Some heightened Bighorn Sheep behavior during the Rutting Season. It has been a little more rare for so many Rams, including some of the Largest Rams seen this rut, to continue competing and fighting to mate for such a long duration. While there were a couple clear Bighorn Bosses that ruled when they asserted themselves, some young energetic Rams showed lots of incredible genetics, stamina and stubbornness. Hopefully, many new Lambs appear this Summer as a result of a successful Rutting Season.



Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

Bighorn Bash

Bighorn headbutting at the height of the Bighorn Sheep Rut. Lots of Ram Rut fighting was captured this year and this is some of the best headbutts of these powerful creatures.



Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

Bighorn Sheep Rut - Canada's Angry Ram Mating Dance

Bighorn Rams Fighting for Mating rights During the Bighorn Sheep Rut. The larger Bighorns with superior genetics are able to battle like this for quite a long time during the bighorn sheep mating season. Several larger Rams are seen here battling for the right to mate on this day.



Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

Bighorn Sheep Rut - The Mating Chase

With Ewes in estrus, Bighorn Sheep Rams become very worked up and the Mating Dance ensues. Head butting becomes a common occurrence during these peak Bighorn Rutting days.



Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

Big Rams Fighting for Mates

Big Rams Fighting for Mates During the Bighorn Sheep Rut. Bighorns with superior genetics are able to keep this battle pace up for quite a long time during the bighorn sheep mating season. Two larger heavyweight Rams are seen here battling on this day.



Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

Epic Canadian Rockies Bighorn Ram Battle

In nature with Canadian Rocky Mountain Bighorn Rams fighting during their rutting season. We were very lucky to witness this Epic Battle between two very gifted Bighorn Rams.



Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

RAM Tough - Light Heavyweight Battle

Two Bighorn Rams separated from the herd to perform their ritual head butting battle. It almost appears that one Ram simply did not want the other one following him around during this time of the rutting season. The moments were captured over the course of a couple hours into dark. These Bighorn Sheep Rams looked as if they were going to continue their fighting much later into the night. *Thank you for your patience with us.. these moments are too rare to let the dark make us part early at the end of a great day!



Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

Rockies Rams During the Bighorn Sheep Rut

Rockies Ram behaviors during the Bighorn Sheep Rut. Bighorn Sheep mating season shows much more aggressive Ram behavior as they court Ewes and try to block other Rams from mating. When Ewes are in estrus, Rams will detect it through the flehmen response, which immediately heightens competition among the big males. Short Fights and jostling is common with big head butting battles being more rare.



Bighorn Sheep Rut on Video

Bighorn Rut in Canada & America

Bighorn Rut Season in Nature..

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Bighorn Sheep Rut Season


When is the Bighorn Sheep Rut Season?

The Bighorn sheep rutting season or breeding season in Canada and the American Rockies is from October to January. During the bighorn rut, Rams fight for dominance by clashing heads in very physical battles. Each group of Bighorn Sheep will have a dominance order, with high ranking Rams(males) doing most of the breeding. Like Elk bulls after their rutting season, energy expended leaves bighorn rams in poor winter condition, resulting in a higher mortality rates among dominant rams.

During the bighorn rut, ram battles take place for the right to collect a harem of ewes(females). Bighorn Sheep Ram challenges can be a combination of show and bluff. When bluffing is matched, two rams will face each other, rearing up onto their hind legs, and smash their horns together with enourmous force. The battle sounds of these impacts are often compared to the reverberation of a high powered gunshot.



Dominant Bighorn Sheep Rams

Very large, dominant bighorn rams often have horns that make a full curl, continuing past they eye. It takes 7 or 8 years for Rams to reach this mature dominant stage and such animals are quite rare outside of protected areas.

Bighorn sheep ram horns can weigh up to 15 pounds on each side, meaning bighorn sheep males might have 30 pounds of horn on their head. Horns are rarely used for defense, but more for rutting season battles to establish breeding rights among the herd of ewes. Bighorn sheep ram fights are a wild animal experience not to be missed.