With fall quickly approaching, rut season for Elk is here and with their hormones raging, battles between the males are getting more intense. I was extremely fortunate to witness one duel and better yet, get pictures of it.

Two bulls had their harems gathered at opposite ends of a small meadow and while you would think they would be content with what they had, one was not. He started approaching the other group which enraged the second bull. They met in the middle of the meadow, initially circling at a distance, clearly sizing each other up.

Slowly they approached each other, raising their heads to the other, keeping close watch. Suddenly, their heads went down and they charged! Back and forth they shoved, swinging their massive antlers trying to stab their opponent and push them down. Dirt was flying and the sound of the clash added an audio component that really helped drive home the point that these are massive, powerful animals.

For a time, it looked like it would be a draw but the bigger, second Elk fended off the challenger, chasing him away. Adding insult to injury, he took the other bull’s harem of 20 or so cows and added it to his own leaving the challenger with nothing for all of his work. I cannot begin to describe how exciting it was to witness this.

While I have seen Elk challenge each other, those never resulted in any actual physical contact. I had never witnessed a fight like this one and still get giddy when I think about it. So much fun!

Taken in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Scroll down to view the complete battle series.

Elk bulls battle

A bull Elk scopes out a nearby competitor

Elk bull calls out his challenger

A bull Elk scopes out a nearby competitor

Elk bull calls out his challenger

Elk bull calls out his challenger

Elk bull calls out his challenger

The two Bulls circle, sizing each other up

The two Bulls circle, sizing each other up

The two Bulls circle, sizing each other up

The two Bulls circle, sizing each other up

Elk bull reminds his harem who is in charge

Elk bull prepares for battle

Elk bull reminds his harem who is in charge

Elk bulls approach, prepare to engage

Elk bulls approach, prepare to engage

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

Elk bulls battle for supremacy - and the ladies

The victor!

The victor!

The losing Elk bull stands alone having lost his harem

Waking early one morning in Jasper National Park, I emerged from my RV to find this beautiful lady right there. She was cautious and moved around to the opposite side of a tree but was also curious and hungry. Sticking her head out from the other side, she continued to graze and I of course watched while enjoying a beautiful morning in the northern Rocky Mountains.

A very large bull Elk sticks his tongue out toward some of the crowd that had stopped to watch it. We happened upon this big guy in Jasper National Park near Talbot Lake. For the most part he kept his head down and grazed but I managed a few shots when he would look up.

Back from a fantastic weekend in Colorado’s high country and while the primary purpose of the trip was camping with the family, I managed to find a good number of critters to photograph as well.

First up is this precious little one that provided me with not only a lot of pics, but also a huge smile on my face. So cute! This was taken just inside the west entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Heads or tails? No reason to pick given the pose this bull Elk gave me. 😉

Taken early one morning along the Bow Valley Parkway in Banff National Park on July 27. This big fella and two of his buddies were grazing alongside the road.

The Bow Valley Parkway has a reputation of being the wildlife ‘hotspot’ in the park. We however came away disappointed after having driven it eight times at all different times of day over a span of four days. A few deer and elk were all we were able to see. No doubt it is a matter of luck and timing but it sure was frustrating.

It didn’t take long after arriving at our first destination in the Canadian Rockies to find wildlife. In fact, it found us. Nine Elk cows and four very cute calves came walking right through our campground. The ladies were certainly pretty but needless to say, it was the little ones that stole the show. This particular one proved to be the most photogenic of the youth giving me many fantastic poses including this look of it sniffing at the grass and a piece of wood.

On an unseasonably warm day, these Elk bulls and about a half dozen of their buddies were lounging around in the West Horseshoe Park area of Rocky Mountain National Park. While they were here Saturday, most of the females I saw were in Moraine Park or migrating toward it. With the rut five months away, the boys clearly weren’t too concerned about what the ladies were up to.?

If you were this big guy and had been furiously guarding your harem of 15 or so cows from a few other bulls, you would be thirsty too. Taken in Rocky Mountain National Park’s Moraine Park area, this bull had lost a few females to other suitors but was overall doing a good job keeping the group together. After fending off a younger bull that tried to siphon some off, he took a break just long enough to grab a quick drink from the creek.

The annual rut is an extraordinary event and if you ever get a chance to see it, I would highly recommend it. Taken September 20, 2015.

Entering full maturity and with hormones raging, this junior bull tries to decide if he dare challenge one of the area elders for a harem. Watching the interaction between the two was a lot of fun.

The senior bull had gathered 10 cows and was jealously guarding them against the interloper, bugling and huffing having worked himself up into a frenzy. While the young one looks somewhat impressive, he was nothing compared to the older bull and after a while, seemed to recognize an outright challenge would not be wise.

Instead, he lurked in a nearby stand of trees, waiting for one of the cows to wander and hoping he could siphon her off without a straight-on challenge of the big boy. That never did happen while I was watching as the massive old bull was far too wise.

Taken in the Moraine Park area of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, September 20, 2015.

Somehow I never posted this image but yet it is my favorite from this past fall’s elk rut. Taken in Rocky Mountain National Park at the end of September. This massive bull elk had a harem of eight cows but was feeling the pressure from two other bulls nearby. He kept circling the ladies and sounded constant warnings to the interlopers that he was prepared to defend their honor.