I am not a hunter, though I hold no malice towards sustenance hunters. I hunt with my camera, shooting wildlife indiscriminately and solely based upon whether I feel the photo will look interesting. My trophies are the photos I choose to share. I have many friends that hunt and it is interesting to learn what their elusive or most sought-after species are since animals behave so differently under those circumstances. 

 

Their ability to navigate the steep, treacherous slopes of the Rockies make them a model for survival in a rugged and often unforgiving environment. So getting close to them can be extremely difficult. I have heard stories that bighorn sheep were messengers or intermediaries between the earth and the sky. They carry these messages up closer to the heavens to be heard.

 

With a camera though, they generally pay absolutely no mind to my presence and can very often be seen just roadside licking the salt. So hearing hunters brag about getting a Bighorn and the struggles they went through to get it can be amusing to me.

 

They photograph beautifully in the right light though. Their horns have so much character, while their eyes are simply empty. As though the messages they carry are stored in the horns and never actually delivered.

 

-Tyler Thoren