The bugling sound of an elk bull is unmistakable and oftentimes hear in the Colorado high country. Such was the case on this morning as one of the ‘top guns’ in Rocky Mountain National Park rounded up his harem.

He had quite an impressive group, probably 40 or so cows, and a few had begun to wander. That, of course, would not do, and he set off in pursuit of them across the valley. The big guy cut them off, let loose with a guttural bugle heard far and wide, and the cows quickly returned to where he wanted them.

It was a neat scene with low fog just above the valley floor, obscuring the tops of the mountains and the elk dotting the grasses below.

Rut on! It is that time of year when the hormones in the elk are raging and the bulls are competing for the affections of the ladies. This capture is certainly worthy of featuring on Wapiti Wednesday.

We spent this past weekend camping in Rocky Mountain National Park and while the weather was less than ideal for humans, the cold and drizzle helped to get the big boys motivated.

This particular bull was large and in charge and he had the harem of 40 or so cows to prove it. As he kept his group penned in at a corner of the meadow, he made sure competitors knew they were not welcome.

I can’t wait! September in the Colorado high country is one of my absolute favorites.

The temperatures cool down leading to crisp, calm mornings and evenings that require you to bundle up just a bit. The leaves begin to change and there is that unmistakable sound of bugling elk as the males gather up the ladies into harems, vying for their love.

This image, taken last year at about this same time, had one of the big boys calling to the cows, trying to woo them his direction.

Well, normally I would have to reach into the archives this time of year for a pic for Wapiti Wednesday but not today. This past weekend, while hiking along the South Platte River north of Denver I saw something that you normally would never associate with the area – an elk!

As I am walking along, I see a large mammal ahead and initially dismissed it as a deer. A second glance told me no, this was way bigger than a deer. As the sun wasn’t entirely up yet, light was at a premium but pointing my lens I realized what it really was. Awesome!

Of course, she turned tail and headed off but I pursued for probably about a mile up river, giving her a wide berth so as not to make her go too far too fast. I only managed a few captures in low light but what a treat to see!

This area is about 15 miles from the furthest east spot in the foothills you would normally see them. It certainly had to cross a LOT of suburbia to get to this spot.

I learned today that the biggest, baddest elk bull of Rocky Mountain National Park was found dead last week. For years he has delighted visitors and photographers with his impressive size and incredible rack.

The last rut season was hard on him as he suffered a pretty serious injury sparring with another bull. He seemed to recuperate, albeit slowly, but did not make it through the winter. We may never know why. It could be perhaps due to that injury, old age (he was estimated to be 12 to 14 years old) or some have speculated predation from a mountain lion.

Certainly, I shot more than my fair share of pics of him over the years, these ones dating to September 27, 2019. I remember with great clarity that particular photo session with him.

I was camped in the Moraine Park Campground and with chilly temperatures and light rain falling that evening, I wasn’t inclined to head out and photograph. Instead, I had just poured my favorite adult beverage expecting to relax and just take it easy when I started hearing extraordinarily loud bugling from over the hill. I couldn’t resist the call.

I donned my rain gear, grabbed my camera and hiked over the hill. There was the big guy, standing guard over his harem and making sure any competitors knew who was in charge. Relatively few humans were there that evening due to the weather which made for a nice, peaceful visit with him.

I walked away happy I had ventured out and now, even more, cherish that time with him. He will live on not only in pictures and memories but also through a long, proud blood line.

The rut is over now but I still have a few pics to share from this year’s action. Overall, I didn’t do as well with the pics as I have in the past but there were some good ones to be had, including this one.

This handsome fellow had himself a nice harem of a dozen cows or so but he was struggling to keep them contained. Three competing bulls nearby were pressuring him and doing their best to woo the ladies away, sometimes having success.

The big guy was trying to alternate between eating and patrolling the harem, stopping here briefly to bugle while still having grass in his mouth. Apparently he wasn’t taught to not talk with food in your mouth. 😉

This handsome bull had himself a nice little harem in the Upper Beaver Meadows area of Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday. Here, he had the ladies lined up and he was checking to see if any were ready for his overtures.

All was not going so great for him though. A younger bull was pressuring him and while the young one didn’t directly challenge the bigger one, the younger’s call was irresistible to some of the cows and he managed to siphon off four from the elder’s harem.

The young guy though wasn’t too practiced at the process as those four just kept on going to a third, older bull further away. A bit of a life lesson for the young gigolo – the ladies can be pretty fickle. 😉

September brings the changing of the color of leaves and for me, more notably, excursions to Colorado’s high country. Up there, the hormones are raging as the elk rut begins in earnest and the sound of bugling bulls is music to my ears.

This past weekend I initially struggled finding the big boys close enough to get good captures of but persistence paid off when I happened across the majestic 6 x 6 bull. He had himself a nice harem of a dozen or so cows and while some younger bulls lingered nearby, they weren’t any real competition for this guy.

As he moved the harem away from one of the interlopers, he held his head high, sniffing the air behind the females to determine if any were ready for mating. In doing so, he gave me this fantastic look.

Ah, yes, the sounds of fall with elk bugling as the rut ramps up. Very soon I will be up with these majestic creatures again. In the meantime, this is a shot from last year’s action.

This big boy had himself a nice little harem of a dozen cows but other bulls nearby were doing their best to lure the ladies away. Here, he bellows at the top of his lungs, warning potential competitors to back off.

You will notice that he took out his frustrations on the grass and is wearing the remnants. 😉