Elk In The Rut
I have had the opportunity to photograph both the Mountain Elk and the Prairie Elk in my travels. This included the Elk of the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, and the majority of the western United States. My personal opinion is that the Elk is the most majestic of the Antlered Big Game Animals. You can never have a better experience than sitting with the Elk in the late evening and listening to the bugling of the Bull Elk. In the Black Hills of South Dakota, at the commencement of the rut, I had the opportunity to sit on a "Gathering of the Bulls" at daylight one morning. They were in a large meadow,just starting to move into the timber for the day. I was able to count twenty-two Bull Elk massed together at one time. A few of the younger Bulls were sparring with one another, the larger Bulls just looking on.
The photographs below were taken in Colorado, the morning after the first snow fall of the season in the high country. I sat with this herd and took countless photographs of this "Royal" Bull with his harem of sixteen cows. He maintained his "bugling" the entire time, inviting more Cows into his harem and warning other Bulls not to infringe on his territory. One young Bull did venture into the area, upon seeing the "Royal" challenging him, he quickly decided that he should clear the area.
"The "Royal" Standing Guard
"Bugling Bull"
"Bugling Bull"
"Starting To Mark A Tree With His Scent"
"Scenting The Tree"
"Persuading A Young Bull That He Was Intruding"
IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY AND A GREAT DAY
