Tule Elk, Point Reyes National Seashore
The Rut Is On at Point Reyes. This 7-point bull is bugling to let everyone know he’s in charge, at least until someone bigger comes along and drives him away.
Tag: rut
Pronghorn Buck in the Rut
I’m still working on upgrading the images on my website. I’ve finished the mammals that start with a “B” (six species) and jumped ahead a bit to look at the pronghorn images from my trip to Yellowstone this past September. The pronghorn rut was underway. This buck was curious about me and came in for a closer look.
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.
Pronghorn Rut, Yellowstone National Park
I’m in Yellowstone. I came for the rut. It’s been quite warm and that may have slowed things down a bit.
This buck was busy defending his harem. I observed him for about an hour before sunset and he was kept busy by four other bucks. He chased them all away without a fight. It’s a bit like swatting flies though.
This buck was on a course which would bring him through the harem. He watched from a few hundred yards away and finally skirted around the above buck and his harem. I’m not sure why he didn’t act like the other bucks. Maybe he’d say he’s a lover, not a fighter. But that doesn’t work. In the pronghorn world, the only lovers are the fighters.
Very Young Tule Elk Calf During the Rut in September
I photographed this young calf two days ago at Point Reyes. I am used to seeing calves this young in late April, May and early June, not September.
Bull Tule Elk During the Rut
The rut is in full swing at Point Reyes. This bull had a harem of six or seven cows and a few yearlings and calves near Pierce Point Ranch. He got into one big fight with another bull of about equal size. He prevailed, but these bull elk sure work hard to pass on their genes. I saw a bull limping due to some problem with his left foreleg or shoulder. It reminded me of a limping bull on the D Ranch near Drake’s Beach. He also had something wrong with his left leg or shoulder.
Bull Tule Elk with Baling Twine Caught in Antlers
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.
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.
