I am about to begin my bighorn sheep photography season. The annual rut is underway, usually lasting from late October until late December. From my experience, prime time is the first part of November, when one is most likely to catch a couple of mature rams engaged in combat to determine mating rights.

I’m fortunate that I live close enough to a good habitat that I can make day trips to photograph them. Some days are better than others, but the best situation is when there is fresh snow on the ground as the bighorn will generally come down off the mountains to get to the less snow covered grass. I remember coming out of a Starbucks in Dumont one morning with my buddy Merlin Peck and there was a small herd of about 12 bighorn standing in the parking lot staring at us as we left with our coffee. Some days, all you have to do is show up.

I’m already setting up buddy trips for this season, as photography days are not just about the bighorn. It’s good social activity for me and it gives me the opportunity to share my favorite BBQ restaurant with a worthy companion in Idaho Springs.