Apple Treat

This bull elk violently shook this tree with its antlers to knock things loose to eat.

Mountain Overlook

In the evening light this bull elk was watching over his small harem on a hillside.

Morning Breath

The cool morning and the rising sun cause the elk to roam out of the woods to warm up on the hillside before the heat of the day.

Corralling The Girls

This large bull elk commanded a large harem and kept them in a group where he could watch over them and bugle towards any potential challengers.

Evening Silhouette

Upon arriving our first night we were greeted with a closeby elk bugling in the nearby woods. After about 20 minutes he made his way onto the hillside. The sun had set too low for any detailed shots, but the pinkly lit sky made for a beautiful silhouette.

I Want to be Just Like Dad

This bull elk watches over his harem and the calves as they feed in the evening. This little calf looks on as his dad passes by.

Dinner Time

The elk herd moves out of the woods as the day cools off and come out to feed on the lush grasses in the fields. They only come out about an hour before sunset.

A Little Shy

This newborn calf was only two weeks old, and was quite shy. Not sure what to make of us he kept his head down and waited to see how this babysitter responded. In order to keep the herd safe newborn calves are kept separate from the rest of the herd and watched over by two cows. These cows are not always the calves mothers, but instead designated herd babysitters. This photo goes well with the next one titled "A Little Curious"

A Little Curious

After seeing that his babysitter was not worried about our presence this calf stuck his head up to get a better look at us. This picture makes a great set with the previous photo titled "A Little Shy"

Foggy Morning

After a disappointing morning of thick fog, this bull elk stepped out of the mist and into view from seemingly out of nowhere, and stayed around long enough to get some nice shots.

Watching Over

This bull elk corrals his harem and their calves away from the sound of another oncoming bull during a cool foggy morning.

Warming Light

This young calf relaxes in the warm evening light on a cool fall day.

Watchful Meal

This bull enjoys some of the lush grass in a nearby field while keeping a close eye on us. Once he was sure we weren't a threat or a challenger he went right back to eating.

Heavy Burden

The massive antlers that bull elk grow each year take an enormous amount of energy to grow, and require quite the neck strength to carry around. This monster bull grazes on the grasses early in the morning before the heat of the day.

Golden Beauty

Right before sunset the field lit up in a brilliant golden hue. Quickly setting into position with the sun behind the elk allows me to capture both this golden glow and this massive bull elk.

Bugling

During the fall rut the bull elk bugle to each other as a challenge. They compete for a harem of cows that can range anywhere from 1 to 10 cows. Newcomers issue a challenge and if successful can win one or more of the harem cows.

Morning Call

Early in the morning the elk are most active, with constant bugles and calls. This particular bull is still wet with the morning dew.

Attracting a Mate

This large bull elk was attempting to attract a nearby cow by both bugling and "thrash-urinating", a process by which apparently attracts the cows.