Heading to the Colorado high country in the late summer and viewing the elk rut is one of the highlights of my year. The bulls are crazed with hormones and ready and willing to take on each other.

They have, on occasion, also taken on stupid humans that choose to get too close and don’t maintain a respectful distance. Almost every year there is a story of someone being attacked by an elk and usually it is because the human did not stay back. Sadly, it is usually the animal that pays the price and is put down as a result.

On this day this past September, there was a herd of elk hanging out on the outskirts of Estes Park. One bull was large and in charge, garnering a lot of attention from folks. Most people kept their distance but one guy just couldn’t help himself and got within 20 feet with his cell phone to take a picture despite being yelled at to stay back.

The bull was clearly agitated having just laid down after having to fend off two competing bulls. The guy got his picture but not much more as the bull stood up and put his head down causing the stupid human to quickly backpedal.

While I suppose the guy thought those motorcycle leathers and helmet might protect him, I suspect if push came to shove, the antlers and hooves would win. 

One for Wapiti Wednesday.

With his harem under control and somewhat boxed in, this massive elk bull was able to lie down and take a much-needed break this past fall. The annual rut was in full swing and he had undoubtedly been keeping busy watching over the ladies and fending off competitors.

I was fortunate that this particular group was less than a mile from my camp near Estes Park, Colorado making for an easy walk and fun photo op. This guy easily had the most impressive rack of any bull I saw last year. He was definitely large and in charge.

Going back to the end of September for Wapiti Wednesday.

We were packing up camp on the west side of Estes Park, Colorado when I heard the distinctive sound of a bull elk bugling. It didn’t sound far so I took off on foot to see if I could find the big guy and sure enough I did.

Another bull had a harem of cows down in a valley on the other side of the fence you see in this image. This guy was on the opposite side of the fence, doing his best to lure away the girls with his romantic bellow.

Unfortunately for him, the other bull had good control of his group and they stayed put leaving this guy to make his calls all alone.

Sounding a bugle sure to bring the girls from near and far, this big guy was making sure they all knew who was in charge. He had a good sized harem in the Moraine Park area of Rocky Mountain National Park last month and kept them close. There was a much larger bull nearby and he was well aware of the threat of seeing some of them poached away.

The rut is now over and the big guys finally get a rest but now all must prepare for a long, hard winter at altitude. The monochrome grass in this shot really kind of makes the bull stand out in contrast while they entire scene is filled with complementary colors.

If you spent weeks on end running around almost non-stop defending your harem from would-be competitors, you would be tired too.

This big guy had a nice bunch of cows to help ensure his lineage carried on. However, not 100 yards away, were three interlopers, all too ready to steal away the ladies.

On this mild day in Colorado’s high country, the boys seemed willing to take a break from the action and get some much needed rest. The big guy was able to lie down in the forest and catch a nap while his harem grazed nearby.

“These are MY ladies.” A massive Elk bull casts a stern look toward any that would dare to poach from his harem. 😉 This guy was indeed quite impressive and had himself a nice harem of a dozen cows. Three other bulls were nearby, only one of which could even be considered a contender, but my money would be on this guy for sure.

Normally I wouldn’t like the man-made stuff in the background of a photo but for this capture I actually really like it. The fence and wagon coupled with the big guy and the fall foliage look pretty near IMHO. It certainly helps that this bull was one impressive specimen to say the least. We sometimes call these creatures Wapiti, a word that comes from the Shawnee and Cree word ‘waapiti’ which means ‘white rump.’

Our camping season came to an end this past weekend but the last trip did send us out on a high note. We headed to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park for the rutting Elk and fall colors and were not disappointed.

The highlight was this big, 7 x 7 bull hanging not far from our campsite near Mary’s Lake. On Saturday afternoon, he had his harem of a dozen cows rounded up and was making sure that three other, nearby, smaller bulls knew to keep their distance.

Here, he was bugling, sounding a warning, with the signs of the change of seasons in the background. I have to say, this is one of my favorite Elk pics I have ever taken.

Apparently a poacher (or poachers) have killed two of these big guys in recent weeks in Rocky Mountain National Park. The service is seeking pics of any of the bulls in the Milner Pass area, some of which I photographed back in late July. This link has details on the incidents and links that you can use to report anything relevant.