I had asked this handsome fellow to give me a nice portrait. Sigh. Everyone’s a comedian. 😉 

Had a fantastic weekend in Rocky Mountain National Park, taking in the sights and of course enjoying the wildlife. The elk rut is in full swing with the bulls doing their best to keep their harems.

This particular fellow was alone and on the move, looking for cows. Not long after this image was taken, he disappeared into the forest only to emerge a few minutes later chasing a cow. Persistence pays off I guess.

A handsome elk bull bugles toward a cow for Wapiti Wednesday. I don’t know for sure but I don’t expect yelling at a perspective mate is the way to win her heart. 😉 

This big guy was actually not having a particularly good morning. He had a harem of about 10 cows but found himself with competitors to each side, both with bigger harems. One by one, the cows began deserting him and as they did, he did little more than bugle, never really trying to round them up and never challenging the other bulls directly.

Of course there is sure to be a lot of back and forth like that during the rut so perhaps tomorrow will be a better day for him.

This was a pretty long shot so I used the crop mode on my Canon EOSR5 to help bring the action “closer” and am pretty pleased with the result.

Yesterday evening I shared an image showing the sights of the season to come with fall foliage. Here is one depicting the sound of the season, that of a massive elk bull calling to the cows nearby.

Taken at the end of September last year in Rocky Mountain National Park, this handsome fellow found himself without a harem but he was doing his best to rectify that issue.

A larger, even more impressive bull had gathered up all the cows but this guy was sounding off hoping to lure away some of the ladies without having to directly confront the big guy. In the end, it didn’t work but he sure looked cool while trying. 😉

The elk rut is starting to kick off in the Colorado high country and as you would expect, soon I will be heading that way to capture the action.

Taken last week while in Rocky Mountain National Park. I actually stopped at this spot to look for moose and instead found this smaller member of the deer family.

Returning to my truck after a bit of a hike, he actually was initially between me and my truck. I waited. And waited. And waited. But, he was happy staying in place eating grass.

I ended up going off-trail, giving him a wide berth, and working toward my truck. Well, he seemed to find me to be very interesting as he started walking toward me.

You can tell (head and ears up), he wasn’t aggressive, just curious. I, however, did not care to get up close and personal with him and went ahead and got in my truck. He lost interest after that.

I get similar looks from a lot of creatures that I photograph. 😉

I happened across this good-looking fellow while in Rocky Mountain National Park a couple of weeks ago. His rack was already looking pretty impressive and was clad in its summertime velvet.

He didn’t look like he would be one of the truly big boys but may be a contender for some of the cows come fall and the rut.

A capture from back during the height of the rut in September and a good one for Wapiti Wednesday.

Light rain was falling and it was pretty chilly but that doesn’t mean the action stops. This big bull elk was making sure he kept the ladies in line and rounded up where he could keep a close watch on them.

There were two other bulls nearby just waiting for an opportunity but he did his best to limit the losses to his harem.

He was large and in charge so the other bulls weren’t too keen on directly challenging him. Instead, they waited for one of the cows to wander off and then would try to poach her from him.

Well, this massive elk bull was not really smiling but actually taking a big whiff of the air.

This image was captured mid-September in Rocky Mountain National Park at the height of the annual rut. Hormones were raging and the bulls were fighting for dominance. The bull was guarding a nice sized harem of cows and calves.

Ungulates like elk and some other mammals do what is called the flehmen response. They lift their lips and open their mouths to take in more of a scent, just as you or I do when taking a big whiff of something.

Having just chased off a competitor, this elk bull ensured that the interloper and any others knew the harem below was his.

Taken at the end of September at the height of the elk rut. I heard the bugling from my campsite so grabbed my camera and raced over the hill. As I crested it, I see two, big bulls coming up the hill right toward me. The lead guy was clearly fleeing, not wanting to challenge this massive specimen.

I quickly maneuvered my way around the hill, keeping a safe distance from them but trying to stay in position to get pics. With the situation stabilized, the big guy turned back to his harem at the bottom of the hill and let loose with a very loud bellow undoubtedly heard across the entire valley.

Nothing was escaping the watchful eyes of this handsome elk bull. He was closely watching a couple of potential competitors nearby when this young member of his harem started to wander off. That of course was unsatisfactory and the bull was quick to get the little one back with the group.

Taken back in September at the height of the rut. It is over now but I thankfully captured a lot of cool pics of this years mating rituals. Taken in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park.

Having staved off the latest attempt to steal away the ladies, this elk bull gets an appreciative look from one of the cows in his harem.

A fun evening in Rocky Mountain National Park a few weeks ago. Light rain was falling but with the herd hanging out right near our camp, I couldn’t ignore the bugling and had to venture outside.

Two other bulls were intent on wooing away the females but this big guy wasn’t about to let them succeed. He chased one up the hill right toward me and the second backed off before ever making a serious threat.

When the bull returned, the ladies seemed rather appreciative of his efforts.  😀