18 MOUNTAIN SHEEP

sufficiently bright for a really fine photograph, though the
rams showed up plainly enough, but their horns are not
sufficiently clear to give a proper idea of their magnificent
size.

It is, however, one thing to make a stalk in the spring,
such as has been described, when the sheep are in poor
condition and not so alert as at other times, or even to
approach them on some of the northern ranges where
they have never seen a man before. Almost anybody
who can do a good day’s walk and has a limited knowledge
of stalking can get easy shots at rams under such favourable
conditions. But it is an entirely different matter when
it comes to outwitting some wary old bighorn in September
or October, when he is in prime condition and his vigilance
is unceasing. With the possible exception of hunting
grizzly bears in the spring there is no other sport that
will compare with sheep hunting. Unless you have
wonderfully good luck you will have to do a tremendous
amount of hard work and, if in the Rockies, often quite
dangerous climbing before you succeed in obtaining
anything much in the way of trophies. Also you, or
somebody with you, must have a thorough knowledge of
the habits of that particular class of game, so as not only
to be able to make a good guess as to whereabouts they
will be under the weather conditions, but be able to spot
them—which is not as easy a thing as it may seem—and
then know whether they are in a stalkable position or not.
To many men who have stalked other species of game it
might often appear that rams were in a position that

. offered no difficulties for a stalk, though the reverse
’ might seem the case to a man with better knowledge.

Few men realize and allow for the marvellous eyesight
that sheep have, and often wonder why their stalks are
failures. A wary ram will spot you just about as far off
as you can see him with binoculars, and you have only
to move the top of your head a few times over the edge
of a bluff, and if there is a band of sheep anywhere within

four hundred yards below you one of them will surely
notice it.