Elk Bugling
Elk Bugling Fall in Yellowstone can be majestic with the Bull Elks bugling during their mating season. It’s truly the call of the wild. This guy had gathered his rather large harem around him.
Elk ➠ Upcountry
Elk ➠ Upcountry Soon, the Elk will begin their move to higher elevations for the summer months in Yellowstone.
Bull Elk at Yellowstone
Bull Elk at Yellowstone 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. This Bull Elk image was captured in Yellowstone; one of my favorite winter shooting locations. Elk are related to deer but are much larger. 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. Each cow typically has a single calf, 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. 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.
Bull Elk at Yellowstone
Bull Elk at Yellowstone The winter has taken its toll on this young bull elk.
Bull Elk
This bugling Bull Elk with a broken antler was hanging around Yellowstone’s Mammoth Springs with his harem of cows.
Elk Cow & Calf
Elk Cow & Calf It’s hard to miss the affection this mom Elk has for her baby; well her bigger baby now. Yellowstone has thousands of wildlife stories every day. It’s a real privilege to witness just one of those stores.
Bugling Bull Elk
Bugling Bull Elk We were late in October to visit the Grand Tetons this year. Actually, I thought the bugling might be done for the year. But, not so, several Bulls bugled for us. It’s such a unique sound of the wild.
Bull Elk
Bull Elk Our day in Yellowstone was getting short. The late afternoon sun was hidden behind a mountain. Lamar Valley can come alive with wildlife in late afternoon and we were almost there. Coming around a bend in the road; my eagle-eyed sister-in-law noticed an Elk laying in the snow about 50 yards off the road. Simple click. Yes, I said snow. Yellowstone has several inches of snow in the higher elevations.
Hank Conrad © 2024
