Going back to September in Rocky Mountain National Park. The elk rut was in full swing with hormones raging and the boys rounding up the girls. Despite his impressive stature, this handsome fellow was on the outside looking in however. A bigger bull had rounded up a nice harem of a dozen or so cows. This guy was doing his best to woo the ladies away, even going so far as to put some foliage on his head to show how cool he was, but was having no luck. He did, however, give me some fun poses, including this one.
“Oh, no you don’t, little lady!”
Not a great quality image due to the conditions at the time but a fun one that captures some of the action of the annual elk rut. This big boy had gathered himself up a really nice-sized harem of a couple dozen cows and calves. One pretty lady, however, was finding it hard to resist a nearby competitor bull’s bugle.
She kept testing, trying to see if she could escape. Each time, the bull would herd her back. On this attempt, she waited until he had moved off a ways to warn the other bull. She saw her chance and started to make a break for it but he was watching and returned, flying at Mach 1, to stop her escape.
You can’t fully appreciate just how fast these massive creatures can run if you have never seen it in person, but this gives you a sense of it.
Top Shots 2023 – Mammals
Creatures big and small passed in front of my lenses over my past photo year. No matter their size, all were special to see from the pika and mink to the bison, bighorn and pronghorn. Here’s a look back at my favorite mammal captures from my past photo year.
Elk bull gives the evil eye
Love the look from this massive fellow! Taken back in September at the height of the rut. This 7 x 6 bull was large and in charge as he kept close watch over his harem. A few other, lesser, bulls would occasionally approach. Here, he raised his head and cast a warning look at a potential challenger. Wisely, the interloper decided it would be best to not go head-to-head with him. 😉
Elk cow makes an appearance on the Colorado plains
Well, this isn’t something you see often. I had yesterday off so spent the morning at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. On my first go-around, I spotted what I thought initially was a really big mule deer. It only took a few seconds though to realize, that’s an elk!
This pretty lady was initially seen here last winter but I had not seen any reports of her in many months. Apparently, rather than heading back to the high country when summer arrived, she decided the lower elevations suit her fine and has been hanging around out of sight. She looked quite healthy and apparently doesn’t mind hanging out with her deer cousins.
Elk bull shows off his pearly whites
Well, now isn’t that a beautiful smile! 😀
Of course he wasn’t really smiling as much as performing the flehmen response to get a good whiff of the ladies to see if any happened to be ready for his overtures. Many animals do this, kind of how we inhale deeply through our noses to get a better smell of something.
On this morning, the bull had a nice harem of a dozen or so cows he was trying to keep under control, all while waiting for them to signal it was time to mate. He was fortunate that there weren’t any competitors nearby so he had them all to himself – for the time being.
Elk bull makes for an imposing figure head on
Nope, I definitely did not want to go head-to-head with this guy. That job is best left to his competitors in the rut now going on.
One of many pictures I took this past weekend in the Upper Beaver Meadows area of Rocky Mountain National Park this past weekend. I started my day in a different area and was not having much luck. When I arrived here, I was a bit late to the party. Four big bulls were trying to corral a harem of a couple dozen cows and calves.
With so many in such close proximity, the cows were not quite sure which of the big boys was in charge so they didn’t take the lead from any of them. As temperatures were rising, all headed off into the forest, out of view but I still managed some nice shots of them. Have a fantastic #WapitiWednesday!
“Can you hear me now?”
Oh yes, I could hear him and many other bulls bugling and ringing in the change of seasons and the beginning of the rut.
This big guy was having a bit of a rough go of it though. He had a harem of 20 or so cows and seemed to be living large initially. Suddenly over half of them darted across the valley to a competitor leaving him with a much smaller group of ladies. That of course didn’t sit well with him and he very loudly voiced his displeasure with pleas to them to come back.
Have a fantastic #WapitiWednesday!
Bull elk appears ready for the rut
Bulked up, velvet off and this big 6 x 6 boy is ready to rumble! While he was hanging out just above timberline when I saw him, he will be making his way to lower elevations soon. There, the bucks and cows will gather and he will fight for the right to have his genes carried on to a new generation of elk. As one of the biggest bulls in the area, there is no doubt he will be a contender next month. Have a fantastic #WapitiWednesday.
Video: Elk scrapes off its velvet in preparation for the rut
The rut is approaching and the big boys are getting ready. My friend and I ventured up to Rocky Mountain National Park this past weekend and near the top of Old Fall River Road, we found a number of good-sized elk bulls.
This massive specimen was working hard to scrape the velvet off his antlers, making a bit of a mess in the process. Soon, that velvet will be gone and they will head to lower elevations and then the battles will begin – one of my favorite times of year. Here you get a few video clips and some pics of him as he prepared.
While I have photographed moose and deer doing this, this was my first time with elk. Way cool to see!