I made a trip up to the Buffalo National River here in Arkansas to view the Elk. As you can see in the above photos it was a foggy morning.
This large Bull Elk was defending his harem of cows from competing bulls.
Wikipedia: Dominant bulls follow groups of cows during the rut, from August into early winter. A bull will defend his harem of 20 cows or more from competing bulls and predators. Only mature bulls have large harems and breeding success peaks at about eight years of age. Bulls between two to four years and over 11 years of age rarely have harems, and spend most of the rut on the periphery of larger harems. Young and old bulls that do acquire a harem hold it later in the breeding season than do bulls in their prime. A bull with a harem rarely feeds and he may lose up to 20 percent of his body weight. Bulls that enter the rut in poor condition are less likely to make it through to the peak conception period or have the strength to survive the rigors of the oncoming winter.
Here is a photo of this Bull Elk jumping a fence: Amazing How A Large Elk Can Jump A Fence
Elk Photos I took in 2010:
A Parting Shot Of The Elk
Frosty Morning Sparring Elk
November 2010 Elk Gallery
A 6X5 Bull Elk
A Rejected Bull Elk
Arkansas Bull Elk
Sparring Bull Elk
The Not So Majestic Bull Elk
A Couple Of Arkansas Cow Elk
A Couple Of Large Arkansas Bull Elk
Arkansas Cow Elk And Calves
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
nice!
Wow, he certainly is a magnificent looking creature! 20 or more cows in a harem … that’s a lot of work. Interesting Wikipedia information. Great shots, Steve, as always!
Thank you Julie! It is always awesome to watch the Elk here in Arkansas.
Great shots, Steve. A magnificent sight indeed.
Thank you Scott!
Very nice photos, Steve! Are Elk native to that area?
Michelle, In 1981, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, in cooperation with private citizens, initiated elk restoration project in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas. Between 1981 and 1985, 112 elk from Colorado and Nebraska were released in Newton County. All release sites were near the Buffalo National River. http://www.agfc.com/hunting/Pages/HuntingElkHistory.aspx
amazing photos, steve! the mist makes them look painterly (says the artist). I saw elk for the first time recently when we visited colorado. I have seen lots of deer here in wisconsin, but the male elk with his large rack is quite impressive.
Thank you so much Deb! It is worth the 2 hour drive for me to go up and view the Elk.
Misty mysterious wild and wonderful!
Elk In The Mist. Lovely shots!
Those would have made great titles for this post!
Great work! Very special imagery.
Thank you Dan!