Elk Calf, Yellowstone National Park
A day-old elk calf rests on a rocky slope above the Madison River. My favorite time to be in Yellowstone is from mid-May to mid-June when almost all species give birth.
Tag: rocky mountain elk
Elk Calf, Yellowstone National Park
An elk calf looks at the camera.
My favorite time of year to be in Yellowstone is now. To be more specific, I like to be there from mid May to mid June. The main reason, of course, is all the baby animals. But that’s not all. The colors are fantastic then also. Yes, the crowds can be frustrating. I remember going there in the early 1970’s to photograph wildlife and I never saw another serious photographer. Really.
I didn’t go this year and I really miss it.
Two Young Bulls Debate Who Has the Right of Way on Game Trail, Point Reyes National Seashore
Yesterday’s photo of the elk calf was taken an hour before sunset. The light was still pretty strong as you could see. This photo was taken at sunset and these young tule elk bulls are in the shade. Much nicer light and color in the shade, especially at sunset.
Each of these young bulls has five points per antler. Points are an indicator of age in elk. According to the Park Service, one-year old bulls have a single spike. Two-year olds usually have slender antlers with four to five points. Three year olds have thicker antlers with four to five points and four year old and older bulls usually have six points on each antler and they get thicker each year. Yellowstone Resources and Issues 2009 at p. 126. While the Park Service document was focusing on Rocky Mountain elk, I don’t believe there is any difference with regard to the antlers of these tule elk at Point Reyes National Seashore.
So, are these five-point elk two or three years old? I’m not sure, but I’m guessing they are three year olds. Their antlers aren’t that slender and I’ve seen bulls with skinny antlers and four or five points and they’re still hanging out with the cows and yearlings. These guys in the photo are hanging out with the big six (and seven) point bulls.
Big Bull Elk, Yellowstone National Park
This is the largest bull elk I saw this fall in Yellowstone. He and his harem were located south of Swan Lake. There seems to be something wrong with his right eye. He may be blind in that eye. Bulls suffer many injuries during the rut. This past fall I saw several bulls limping due to shoulder injuries. One Yellowstone bull was famous for attacking cars. He was know by his ear tag as #6. For more about him and his demise click here.
I mentioned in an earlier blog post that the rut seemed slow to me this past September in Yellowstone and wondered if it was due to weather that seemed warmer than usual for that time of year. There may have been other factors. I just found an article in the Huffington Post from last January that reported that the Yellowstone herd was down about 25% from the previous year due to several possible factors, including weather, increased hunting success due to November snow storms that pushed more elk than usual out of the park during the hunting season, and wolves. Less accurate counting may have also been a factor.
Speaking of elk, I just finished upgrading the Rocky Mountain Elk Portfolio on my website. You can see that portfolio here.
Bull Elk, Yellowstone National Park
The elk rut has been slow. This bull was without a harem. Not far away is another bull with a small harem. I had no choice but to shoot into the sun here.
Rocky Mountain Elk Cow and Calf, Yellowstone National Park
This photo looks a bit different than the other elk photos I’ve been posting doesn’t it? The elk don’t look much different even though these are Rocky Mountain Elk, not Tule elk. It’s the habitat. This photo was taken in Yellowstone National Park about a mile north of Mammoth.
Tule Elk, Point Reyes National Seashore
Just before sunset, a bull elk looks across a field and sees another one of those creatures with only two legs.
This is one of the biggest bulls I’ve seen at Point Reyes. A large Tule elk bull will weigh about 600 pounds. While that may seem fairly heavy, Roosevelt (AKA Olympic) bull elk, which inhabit coastal forests from Northern California up into British Columbia, can weigh more than 1,000 pounds. The Rocky Mountain (AKA American) elk splits the difference. A Rocky Mountain bull elk can weigh up to 800 pounds. Rocky Mountain elk are by far the most numerous.
