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. 😉

A scene that tells a story. Taken just outside the west entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park, this young bull gave me a nice pose by a trail sign. Behind him, the evidence of the East Troublesome Fire provides a stark contrast.

While the elk were abundant last week and seemed to have plenty to graze on, the trees were burned and stripped of any signs of green. Those trees that provide much-needed shelter for a wide variety of wildlife from little birds to big mammals can no longer provide help.

While the animals will likely adapt or simply migrate to areas that were not burned, it will not be easy and it will be decades before these forests look like they did just last year at this same time

Jumping back to mid-September for this capture. The elk rut was in full swing with the males rounding up the females and keeping close watch on their harems. This handsome fellow had gathered himself a dozen cows but keeping them from straying was proving to be a challenge.

Two other bulls were nearby, doing their best to poach some of the cows. He, of course, was none too happy, constantly circling the group to try to keep them together and occasionally sounding off a warning. Here, he lets loose with a monstrous bugle, an unmistakable sound and one that I look forward to hearing again this fall.

This was a pleasant surprise. While checking out an open space area in the northern Colorado foothills last weekend, I happened across this herd of elk. The majority were cows but there were some younger bulls mixed in there as well. I was hoping they would come closer but it was not to be and they instead headed up over the hill and out of sight. Nevertheless, a fun thing to see and not something I often photograph in the winter.