Wyoming Winter Wildlife: Bighorn Sheep Rut

Winter in Jackson Hole, Wyoming means beautiful landscapes and abundant wildlife. Spend five (5) full days in Grand Teton National Park and the National Elk Refuge with wildlife photography guide and instructor Sean Quintillian. Winter snows in the mountains push wildlife down to the valley floor and close to the town of Jackson Hole. This early December trip will have a focus on capturing bighorn sheep rams as they compete for mating rights. We will spend time each day with the bighorn hoping to catch a few good horn clashes. Other wildlife we will pursue will be bison, elk, moose, mule deer and pronghorn, maybe even some mountain goats. Most of these should be easy to find and will have a snow covered setting to capture them in. Moose and Bull elk will have spectacular antlers on display, Bison may have snow covered faces from moving snow as they graze.

Our typical day will begin with a sunrise shoot of the Grand Tetons from a different location each day. After sunrise, time will be spent looking for Bison and moose, before heading to the Bighorn sheep mid-morning as they come down from sheep mountains where they sleep. A late morning brunch in town, will be followed by more time finding wildlife as well as some afternoon and evening shots of the Tetons.

We will be staying at the Wyoming Inn, in Jackson Hole. This is the perfect hotel for long winter nights; there is a comfortable lobby with a large fireplace to gather around after dinner to edit photos and talk about the day. There is also a restaurant on the first floor for a few dinners. All rooms have been booked for Sunday night through Saturday morning. Participants will be responsible for payment upon check-in. It is approximately $1100, with your first night included in the workshop fee.

All ground transportation is included with the trip, plan to arrive after noon on Sunday, December 3rd, and Sean will pick you up at the Jackson Hole Airport and you to the hotel. All participants will be dropped off at the airport by noon the following Saturday, December 9th, earlier that morning, if needed. This a a cold weather trip – daily high temps will most likely be in the low 20s and morning lows could be below zero! Sean will reach out to you to help you pack for the cold, both to protect you and your equipment.

Sean Quintillian has taken well over a dozen trips to Jackson Hole and the Grant Tetons. This will be Sean’s fifth winter trip guiding clients to the area.

Here is what one safarian said about the Bighorn Sheep trip:

Just returned from the safari to Jackson, WY. Our guide, Sean was superb. He is very knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife. Despite some iffy weather, we were able to get great photographs of big-horn sheep, moose, coyotes, the Teton mountains, and some old scenic barns. The hotel Sean lined up was very nice. All around, a great trip. Robert W., Germantown, MD

This workshop has room for a maximum of 5 participants.

Photo credit: Sean Quintillian