Bighorn Sheep - Theodore Roosevelt
Bighorn Sheep - Theodore Roosevelt
Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis), Adult, Male
After six years of trying to capture quality photos of a Bighorn Ram, I finally got lucky on this late fall day. I alongside 3 other lucky photographers tracked a group of bighorn sheep around some rugged terrain in the park. Eventually, I struck off on my own as I had a different idea of which direction I thought they were traveling. My hunch was paid off handsomely and I got some of my favorite photographs of my life. This photo was taken 10/27/25 at 10:38 am.
WeForest Donation: $32 (What is this?)
Print Number: 1/100
Print Size: 3 × 4.5 in.
Total Dimensions: 5 × 10 in.
THE PHOTOGRAPH
Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis)
Ranging from southwestern Canada to western Mexico and all through the western United States, their territory stretches as far east as Badlands National Park, SD. Although not found throughout this range, Bighorn Sheep are prevalent in small patches of mountainous land throughout this area. While existing in large numbers, they are not necessarily easy to find. Whether they are Desert, Sierra Nevada, or Rocky Mountain subspecies, they thrive in rural, rugged, high elevation terrain. These three subspecies can; however, vary in size quite a bit. Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep, found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, are the smallest of the three by far, males only getting up to about 200 pounds. Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep on the other hand get up to nearly 500 pounds. They are also much more common and are the Bighorn Sheep that are seen throughout the United States and Canadian Territory. Desert Bighorns are found in the Southwestern United States and in their Mexican range.
THE LOCATION
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND
One of the more rural National Parks in the lower 48 states, Theodore Roosevelt is located in the western part of North Dakota, due north of Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Aspects of the terrain are very similar in both parks with the bare buttes sticking up, showing history’s timeline in their dirt. Theodore Roosevelt is actually divided into three units, the North, the South, and the Elkhorn Ranch Units. The South is the most frequented and largest unit. Theodore Roosevelt is more of a rolling hills environment that the dramatic buttes of Badlands, but what truly sets the more northern of the two parks apart is the fauna that resides there. The wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park are my main impetus for visiting over and over. They rule this terrain, along with the ever immovable Bison that rule whatever land they are standing on.
The FRAME
Woman’s Tongue (Albizia lebbeck)
Albizia Lebbeck, as it is scientifically known, is native to the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar. It is commonly grown in Australia and other tropic and subtropic places. I get my supply of Woman’s Tongue from Key West, Florida where it is invasive. A wood salvager who has removed the trees from construction sites and properly mills and drys the wood rather than sending it to the dump is my source for a lot of my wood.
