After Ewe

Figure 1. Bighorn Sheep, National Elk Refuge.

In winter, National Elk Refuge is one of my favorite places to watch wildlife. The major activities at this time is the sleigh ride to watch big bull elk. You can buy a $18 ticket at the visitor center, a bus takes you to the sleigh and the guide will take you in the refuge. You can still see these elk from the road side, though it is usually far away.

So National Elk Refuge is all about elk? Not entirely. It is true this refuge was primarily established for the wintering range of elk. Other wildlife benefit, too. For example, I have seen bald eagles, golden eagles, trumpeter swans, goldeneye ducks, Canada geese, bison, bighorn sheep, coyotes and even river otters here. If you are lucky, you may also see wolves.

In addition to elk, bighorn sheep is another most watchable wildlife. Just like elk, they migrate here in winter. You will have to drive to the back side of the refuge. You should be able to see them on the slope at your left hand side. It is almost guaranteed to see them in winter. In fact, they come down to the road side very often because they are so used to people. They may come directly to the car and lick the salt on it.

The mating season of bighorn sheep is at about November and December. You may see some behaviors at this time as this ram tries to determine if the ewe is ready by smelling.