Bighorn Sheep in the Garden of the Gods

[William Seger]

Many times, I've seen individual bighorn sheep climbing in the rocks above the Garden of the Gods, west of Colorado Springs, but this morning there was a herd of about 15 of them down off the rocks, feeding on the grass.

[JDC]

1. Great pic. I've seen them up on the rocks like you

Never in a big group like that.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. William, these are superb photos.

How lucky that you got to see these bighorn sheep up close.

[BobTheSubgenius]

3. Incredible pictures!

I've never seen more than a couple at a time. Ewe and a couple of lambs, maybe. I'm assuming the same nomenclature applies to these guys as your domestic sheep.

A fact about the bighorns I found amazing. The head-butting duels everyone has seen in nature videos sometimes more dire than I imagined. At times, they butt heads so hard that hooves fall off.

[DENVERPOPS]

4. This summer

we saw a bunch of these bad boys. Highway 7, just above Boulder. They weren't even bothered that they were on the highway with all the cars driving by and all the people watching them from 20 yds away.

[leftieNanner]

5. Great pictures

How do you post them? Copy and paste just doesn't work!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. Here's the instructions:

This same post is pinned at the top of the Photography Group.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/103659987

[electric_blue68]

6. Very cool! Especially the second photo's composition.

[srose58089]

7. Great Pictures

Very very nice pictures. I have lived in Colorado along the front range for 30 plus years and always enjoy seeing Big Horn Sheep. Moose come in second.

[cilla4progress]

9. They hang out along our highway

heading into town.

Was devastated to see them licking the deicer the road crews use - salty, I guess - in the middle of the road.

[calimary]

10. Magnificent!

Thanks for these, William! They're remarkable creatures.

[AllyCat]

11. I used to go there in the afternoon to study.

Never saw big horns there. So glad to hear they are about. Must give the tourists a start!

[William Seger]

12. Here's the whole herd I saw, but there are more

According to the local Gazette newspaper, there are about 50 animals living permanently in the area. (Queens Canyon is immediately north of the Garden of the Gods.)

The Rampart Range herd has been in the area since 1946, when wildlife officers were moving 14 sheep from Pikes Peak. The transporting truck broke down, and the animals were released near Green Mountain Falls, with the expectation that they would head home.

“Wildlife, being how they are, went the opposite direction,” said Bret Tennis, Garden of the Gods park operations administrator.

The sheep went to Queens Canyon, which has become a central gathering place for the animals.

The Rampart Range herd has flourished, to the point where, in recent years, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has been relocating some of the sheep to augment struggling herds around the state.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. This is another great photo, and I appreciate the history of these great animals!

[ZZenith]

14. Queen's Canyon is an awesome hike if you ever get a chance.

A little hard to get to but well worth the effort.

[William Seger]

16. It's really hard to get to now

Last edited Mon Feb 22, 2021, 10:25 PM - Edit history (1)

The trail from Glen Eyrie Castle has been closed since the Waldo Canyon fire in 2012, and the public can't park there now. The only way in seems to be to hike down a gully from Rampart Range Road, but the problem with that (in addition to a very strenuous hike back up) seems to be is there is no parking anywhere along that road. I've been trying to find a way I can fly my drone at least a little way up the canyon -- it's legal to fly over it as long as I can find a nearby place that it's legal to launch and land.

[ZZenith]

17. Yeah, I figured it hadn't gotten any easier since we used to stomp around in it back in the '70's.

We would have someone drop us off at the quarry and then shuffle over the rocks on the back side of Glen Eyrie. Comforting to know it’s inaccessible and doesn’t have a Starbucks next to the waterfall.

Excellent photos, by the way. Thanks for sharing them with us.

[flotsam]

15. It's been a hundred years since I hiked around Garden of the Gods...

...(Okay, in truth just under 50 years) but I'll never forget my sense of awe.