Well, not really. It’s just that they’re not grazing on grass as much any more and thus not as easy to see. Elk (and pronghorn and bighorn) are giving birth and the word is out. Grass was OK when meat wasn’t readily available, but now that meat is available the bears don’t have to settle for grass. They need the protein to survive. As I was driving from Mammoth to Gardiner yesterday there was a traffic jam mid-way due to a black bear kill of an elk calf. This can be unsettling when you experience it, but that’s nature and let’s not forget most of us eat meat and it’s not much different, except we rely mostly on others to do our bidding.
I don’t have any photos of elk calves yet, but I saw this female pronghorn and her twins close to the Roosevelt Arch the past couple of days. I’ve gotten attached to them from photographing them. I hope they survive the next four days or so until then can keep up with mom.
