It's stretching, and scratching. This time of year they often use their horns to rub their necks - there are a lot of ticks this year.

Rams almost always are competitive. In fact, they compete for dominance year round. If you ever get to be around them, just watch how the males always are trying to get in front, or lead the pack. Sometimes you will see one or two larger males off, on the edges - they, to me are the smart ones. They sit back and save energy while the younger, more aggressive ones peck at one another. Until the rut, some of the larger males don’t play in that game. On the other hand, some of the larger, older more mature males never seem to out grow it. It's a preservation mechanism.

If a larger, mature male is killed, there always will be one or two to replace him. Mule deer are similar in this fashion. In a hard winter, the one's that save their energy survive to breed, usually that's the ones that are NOT always on the hook so to speak, or always fighting for dominance.

Thanks for looking and for your comments.

Tony