Elk | Bull Elk Resting
Elk | Bull Elk Resting It’s fall. The grass has begun to turn a bit brown. This bill elk appears to be taking a break; resting up for rut season. To learn more about elk, see Elk | a 7 Image Story.
Elk | Bull Elk in Snow
Elk | Bull Elk in Snow Yellowstone in October can be warm or cold; cold with several inches of snow in the higher elevations. Lamar Valley comes alive with wildlife in late afternoon. About 50 yards off the road, this Bull Elk seemed quite happy lying in the snow. To learn more about elk, see Elk | a 7 Image Story.
Elk | Bull Elk Foraging thru Snow
Elk | Bull Elk Foraging thru Snow Yellowstone’s Winter can be brutal! This Bull Elk must push the snow off the brown grass just to get what little nutrition it holds. Of course, Elk lose a good bit of weight during the winter months. To learn more about elk, see Elk | a 7 Image Story.
Elk | Elk Grazing
Elk | Elk Grazing Male elk are called bulls. They weight over 1000 pounds and lose their antlers each spring. Female elk, called cows, are a bit smaller. Elk cows usually have two calves; born in early summer. Elk are aggressive animals; dangerous year-round. Females can be really aggressive in the spring when their babies are born. Males get even more aggressive in the fall during rut. To learn more about elk, see Elk | a 7 Image Story.
Elk | Bugling Bull Elk in Yellowstone
Elk | Bugling Bull Elk in Yellowstone Soon the Elk will be bugling in Yellowstone; just few weeks. Yellowstone becomes a magical wilderness in the fall with fall color and the distinctive sound of an Elk bugling. It’s truly the call of the wild; Bull Elks bugling during their mating season. All the wildlife are in their best condition; ready for the coming winter. To learn more about elk, see Elk | a 7 Image Story.
Elk | a 7 Image Story
Elk | a 7 Image Story Today Elk live primarily in western North America in mountainous areas such as Wyoming’s National Elk Refuge near the Grand Tetons NP and Yellowstone National Park NP. Elk are related to deer but are much larger. Male elk are called bulls and weigh over 1000 pounds, but female elk, called cows, are a bit smaller. A bull elk’s antlers can reach 4 feet above its head making it tower to 9 feet tall. Bull elk lose their antlers each March, but they begin to grow back in May in preparation for the late-summer breeding season.
In early summer, elk migrate to high mountain grazing grounds where the cows give birth. A cow typically has a one or two calves, which can stand by the time it is 20 minutes old. During fall breeding season the bugling of bull elk echoes through the mountains and valleys. Yellowstone becomes a magical wilderness with fall color and the distinctive sound of an Elk bugling. It’s truly the call of the wild. They strip the velvet off their new antlers and use them in violent clashes to determine who gets to mate with the herd. Males with the bigger antlers, typically older, usually win and dominate the small herds. As winter arrives, the Elk form into larger herds, though bulls and cows typically remain separate. The herds return to lower valley pastures where elk spend the season pawing through snow to graze on grass or settling for shrubs not buried in snow. Yellowstone’s Winter can be brutal! The Elk must push the snow off the brown grass just to get what little nutrition it holds. Of course, Elk lose a good bit of weight during the winter months.
Elk an be aggressive animals; even dangerous year-round. Females can be really aggressive in the spring when their babies are born. Males get even more aggressive in the fall during rut.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Elk.
Click any image below for a slide show!
Elk Bugling
Elk Bugling The bull elk are bugling in Yellowstone NP. It’s hard to think about B&W wildlife images; color just seems more natural to me. This image captures the spirit of rut season in Yellowstone.
Bugling Elk in Yellowstone
Bugling Elk in Yellowstone Soon the Elk will be bugling in Yellowstone; just another 4-6 weeks. Yellowstone becomes a magical wilderness in the fall with fall color and the distinctive sound of an Elk bugling. All the wildlife are in their best condition; ready for the coming winter.
Hank Conrad © 2024
