Arriving at Mile "O" of the Alcan Highway at Dawson Creek, I went south to Grand Prairie where I would pick up the Bighorn Highway. I had never traveled this route, it was only last winter that I discovered the name which references Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep.
There are Big Horn Sheep in this area, but with no snow they have not moved to lower locations. Usually the snow and or the rutting season will bring them down. Not seeing any sheep, I asked several locals why it was called the Bighorn Highway. They had no clue! This is a great trip, very scenic with rolling hills timbered heavily with aspen, cottonwood and pine.
The Big Horn Highway takes right into the opening of Jasper Provincial Park. What a fantastic place, the scenery alone is breath taking. The Canadian Rockies is a fabulous range. From Jasper, you slip right into Banff Provincial Park. A few miles, you cross the border and have our own Glacier National Park.
Not seeing any wildlife on the Big Horn Highway, I was looking forward to Jasper. Less than a mile after passing the entrance, a small buck Whitetail Deer was waiting to greet me. This area is so pristine, majestic mountains, pine forests, clear water lakes and streams. Less than an hour into the park, I saw a herd of cow Elk bedded down in a meadow so I pulled over to take a couple of shots. While watching them, I noticed a single elk just down the road a little further, standing up and had antlers. When I got to him, he turned up to be just a very young bull, but old enough to know it was time to be with the cows. Then I heard the first bugle, so did the small bull and that was what was keeping him from the cows. After several bugle calls from the unseen bull, I finally spotted him laying down in a grove of trees, less than 50 yards from the cows. I tried waiting him out, but he was content that his bugling was keeping the little bull at bay and there was no sense to get out in the heat of the day. I have several shots of him bedded down and his antlers, don't know how big he was but he did have a head full of horns.
Sometimes, even when I screw up, I get lucky! Nearing an intersection, despite the better judgement of my GPS, I took the wrong turn. I should have stayed going straight. "Suzie" was a touch mad because I was not listening to her, demanding that I make a U turn. Finally, I stopped and checked the map, she was right. Retreating back from where I came, I halted at the stop sign and waited for the traffic to clear. Looking up on the hillside in front of me, I saw movement in the trees, an elk stepped out and then another. Getting an opening, I got across the intersection and parked. A grassy, light timber meadow was at the bottom of the ridge. An occasional flash would show through the trees, with time the first of a dozen cows came into the meadow but they kept looking back up onto the ridge. The small herd, comprised of cows and young heifers, had gathered and was grazing. But I could still make out yet another brown and tan body on the hill. In time, he stepped out and I could not believe I had got this lucky. This is a Bull Elk of a lifetime. A Elk this size is referred to as a "Royal", if they have seven or more points on each side of the antler. This guy was big, he was majestic, had an impressive rack and he knew it. He enjoyed strutting his stuff. Sure glad I was not shooting old fashion film, it would have cost a fortune to developed the number of shots that I have of this guy.
In Banff Provincial Park, I saw several herds of Big Horn sheep, predominantly ewes and lambs. The rut has not yet commenced so they are still high on the mountains. I did come across one small flock or group of ewes that had a young ram with them. I saw this same situation in Thompson Falls, Montana (later posting). This young Ram has the basic concept, he is just a little early.
I have several pictures of him going through the "mating ritual", although the ewe's were not real impressed. In the picture below, he is "lip curling" where they will actually roll their lips as a sensor to gauge when the female is in season, several species do this but the sheep is one of the most pronounced. This young ram had better get lucky in a hurry, because soon the big boys will come to town and he does not have enough "horn power" to be competitive in the competition.
2 comments:
Beautiful....Im loving these...
beautiful photos stanley
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