Tag: bull tule elk photo

Tule Elk

What’s Wrong With This Bull Elk?

Photo of bull tule elk.
Bull Elk Exhibiting Hair Loss

I was at Point Reyes yesterday afternoon.  It was my first time out there in quite a while.  There’s been enough rain that most ground cover has turned a nice, rich green.  I saw a coyote on the H Ranch which is a fairly common place to spot a coyote, and Handsome Bob, the bobcat I so named because he has such a striking coat of spots, was in his accustomed place just outside the tule elk reserve.  (For a post about Handsome Bob click here.)  There were a number of elk on the D Ranch (by Drake’s Bay).  The bulls were in one group before the ranch complex and the cows and calves were in another group past the ranch complex.  At the elk reserve on the Tomales Peninsula some bulls were with the cows and they were acting like the rut is still on there.

This big bull (7×8 points) was in his accustomed place for late afternoons which is just past the Kehoe Ranch complex in the swale on the right side of the road.  He’s one of about 5 bull elk that somehow got out of the reserve some time in the past several years.  He seems to be alone every time I see him.  The other four seem to stay together.

Yesterday was the first time I noticed that there is something wrong with his coat.  My guess is that he has mange/scabies, but I’m no expert.  I did a quick google search and found that elk do get mange.  For a study done regarding mange at the National Elk Refuge (NER) at Jackson Hole, click here.  Mange is caused by a mite that burrows very deep into the skin.  It can cause death due to hair loss and hypothermia.  The NER report states that bulls die of it at a much higher rate than cows and it was thought that the higher mortality rate was due to the debilitated state bulls are in at the start of winter due to the fall rut.  The report also states that if hair loss extends from the neck to more than one quarter the length of the back the case is considered severe.

Mange is spread by contact. I have no idea to what extent the elk herd at Point Reyes has a mange problem, but since this bull is outside the reserve and doesn’t even seem to spend time with the other four bulls, his case wouldn’t seem to be cause for concern for the rest of the herd.  I also have no idea what his prognosis is or how he got the mange (if that’s what it is)  given his solitary habits.  At least he doesn’t have to deal with cold winters like the elk at the National Elk Refuge.

Tule Elk

A Lot of Bull, Point Reyes National Seashore

Photo of a tule elk bull at end of rut.
Bull Tule Elk

The day I photographed the peregrine (my last post) I also saw this big 7×8 point bull.  He was with about 40 cows and calves a short distance west of the Drake’s Beach Road.  I don’t like the background, but I think the size of this bull warrants a posting.

My postings have slowed down recently because I decided a month or so ago to make the images on my website much larger and it is taking a lot of time.  When I started I thought I’d use one or more actions to speed up the process.  However, as I assessed what was ahead of me I came to the conclusion that my Photoshop skills had improved enough that I could improve most of the images if I went back to the background layer of each image.  It’s going to take a few more weeks to get the revised site up, but I think it will be well worth the extra time.

Tule Elk

Bull Tule Elk After a Fight

Photo of a bull tule elk after a fight.
Injured Bull Tule Elk, Point Reyes National Seashore

I wrote this post at the same time as the previous one.  The point of this one was going to be to show how the bull in that post looked after an apparent fight.  In looking over the draft of this post I now realize this isn’t the same bull.  This bull’s antlers are “palmated,” especially the right one.  Furthermore, I don’t see any baling twine.  I guess I jumped to the conclusion that it was the same bull because this big bull was returning to the same 8 cows that I saw the previous bull with in the same spot an hour before.   In view of the fact that this is the one returning to the harem, it appears he is the dominant bull in this area.

He was limping very noticeably which seemed to be due to an injured left shoulder.  The area behind his lower left shoulder seems devoid of any hair.   His left flank may also show evidence of a fight.  He was panting heavily for the 10 to 15 minutes I observed him and his mouth was open almost all that time.  I assume this bull was in a fight with the bull in the previous post.  Even though he was showing signs of stress from what I presume was a fight, he still checked out a couple of cows that must have been close to being ready to mate.  Being the dominant bull is a lot of work and leaves the big bulls in a weaker state when winter arrives.  Point Reyes is a pretty safe place though for a weakened bull elk.  It’s a lot tougher in Yellowstone with the low temperatures, the snow and the wolves.

Tule Elk

Bull Tule Elk with Baling Twine Caught in Antlers

Photo of a bull tule elk with baling twine caught in his antlers.
Tule Elk Bull, Limantour Herd; Point Reyes National Seashore

This 7-point bull is the largest I’ve seen so far this fall in that portion of the Limantour herd that uses the D Ranch near Drake’s Beach.   About an hour after this photo was taken I saw him again and he was limping.  I think he had been a in a fight.  What I want to point out in this photo, however, is that he has some baling twine caught in his antlers.  Here is a closer view of the baling twine.

Close-up photo of a bull tule elk with baling twine caught in his antlers.
Cropped photo showing baling twine caught in antlers; Point Reyes National Seashore

Baling twine and baling wire, which are used to bale hay, cause many unnecessary injuries and deaths each year to wildlife.  Animals manage to get their legs, talons and other body parts tangled in it.  To read an article about its dangers click here.  The next time this bull scrapes ground cover some of it will get caught in the twine and some of it may cover the animals face, including its eyes.  Depending on its breaking strength, it may also tie the bull to a fence or a piece of vegetation that the bull can’t break or it may hold two bulls together when they try to break from a fight.  Tensile strength is in the hundreds of pounds.  Other species, such as ospreys, are attracted to it for nest-building material.  There are reported cases of ospreys being killed when flying with a long piece of it dangling from their talons.  The trailing piece gets caught in a tree limb as a bird flies over it and the bird dies either immediately or over a long time if it can’t free itself of the twine.  If it makes it into the nest it can cause death there as well.  To see what can happen at a nest site click here.  It reminds me of monofilament fishing line which thoughtless fishermen discard.  Monofilament is even used for some baling products.  If you see discarded baling twine please collect it and dispose of it properly.  Included in that is cutting it into small pieces so it doesn’t become dangerous again on the surface of a landfill.

Baling twine is now being manufactured that decomposes over time.  While this is a step in the right direction, it doesn’t break down for over a year.