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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

What lady wouldn’t love to have a handsome, strapping man sing to them? Of course, the bugling of an elk is not quite music like we are used to but it did work on the cows.

This bull had himself a good-sized harem of 30+ cows and he was quite vigilant in ensuring they stuck around. Here, he lets loose with a bugle that filled the valley and many of the ladies in the harem stopped eating and took note.

Have a fantastic Wapiti Wednesday.

An elk bull tries to woo a cow but she was having no part of it. A fun shot from a chilly, drizzly evening in Rocky Mountain National Park.

As I sat at my campsite, I heard the big boy bugling. I wasn’t too keen on venturing out given the cruddy weather but decided to go ahead and am glad I did. The bull had a harem of 30 or so cows and calves.

He had them all rounded up and in a grassy area right next to the campground. I pulled up a spot under a tree, trying to shelter from the rain, and spent a good while photographing the group.

With another elk bull threatening to siphon off some of his harem, this big boy was doing his best to keep his group together. He had gotten most of the 40 or so of them herded together, making it easier for him to keep things under control.

This cow and calf seemed to be tempted by the competitor though and started to wander away. That, of course, was unsatisfactory. He quickly circled around, got the pair turned around, and escorted them back, giving them an earful as he did.

Have a fantastic #WapitiWednesday!