I spent an early morning photographing deer and elk at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. From my parking spot atop a mountain, I heard two bull elk bugling in the distance. Then I spotted three white-tailed does on a nearby ridge.
Deer and elk moving toward the draw
I needed to leave my truck to photograph the does, so I stepped out without making much noise. They began moving down toward a nearby draw while I photographed them.
While watching the does, I noticed a good-looking white-tailed buck moving above them. He followed their direction but stayed higher on the slope. I watched all four deer until they disappeared into the draw.
As the deer moved out of sight, I spotted a cow and calf elk a short distance behind them. Both looked in my direction but seemed unalarmed. They continued toward the draw until I could no longer see them.
I stayed for a while, hoping a bull might follow the cow and calf. None appeared. Even so, I had photographed both deer and elk near the same spot before leaving the mountain.
Photographing a bull elk after leaving the mountain
After driving down, I came across another photographer parked in the road with her camera pointed out the window. I stopped to avoid disturbing her or the animal she was photographing.
After a few minutes, she signaled that I could drive around her. As I passed, I saw her subject: a bull elk high on a nearby mountain.
I drove past her and found a place to park. From there, I got a couple of photos as the bull moved down the mountain.
He stopped and bugled once while I photographed him. After hearing bulls from my first parking spot, I enjoyed seeing one call within view of my camera.
More elk encounters from that week
I started the morning listening for elk, then spent time watching deer before the elk came into view. By the time I photographed the bull, I had more to share than I expected from that first stop.
I photographed other elk encounters at the refuge that week. You can see those in Elk Calf Nursing at Wichita Mountains and Bull Elk Bugling at Wichita Mountains.