Wild sheep and horses!

I drove a few hundred miles to attend the DWR viewing of Bighorn Sheep in Green River this morning. Once there we learned that the number of sheep seen in the canyon had dropped significantly since Monday - 100 then to 4 yesterday! Ouch!
It appears that the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep may have - 1) an earlier rut than normal leading them into the back country, or 2) better food in the back country than by the river. Or maybe something else. Supporting #1 was the fact that we saw two rams together with a number of ewes and the rams were not fighting - which the DWR wildlife biologist said they would normally have been in rut. Perhaps the warmer weather sped up the rut - who knows!
Anyway a few stayed around although they were a long ways away! So a few pics of them heavily cropped.  On the way down Friday I saw these horses running and their freedom and spirit were exhilarating!

How many can you count? The old ram sitting down and the others moving.

Doesn't this feel like freedom?

A Ram and his Ewe held forth for a while - truly I saw the ewe and did not see the ram until I looked at the photo.