An Elk Photo That Looks Like an Argument

This elk photo perspective makes it look like a cow is upset with a bull. I photographed them at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. Having watched the moment unfold, I knew the cow had just finished scratching herself.

The Cow Had Just Finished Scratching

The cow had been using her teeth to scratch herself. I caught her as she returned to her normal posture after scratching.

In that instant, her raised head makes her look as though she’s confronting the bull. He stood several feet behind her, though the photo makes them appear closer together.

The calf stayed bedded down nearby while I watched the adults.

How Elk Photo Perspective Changes the Scene

From my camera angle, the cow’s head lines up with the bull. That alignment, combined with her posture, gives the moment the appearance of an argument.

I wrote about these same elk in A Day With Bugling Elk in the Wichita Mountains. This photograph adds another moment from that encounter.

Watching before and after the shutter click gave me context that someone viewing this frame wouldn’t have. Without that context, I can see why someone might think the cow was upset.

Watching the Bull Walk Away

The bull had his tongue out. I wondered whether he might have been checking the cow’s scent, but I couldn’t confirm that.

He walked past the cow and continued away from her. The calf remained bedded down, taking it all in.

I thought the calf might have stood if the cow had become upset. That was my impression, though its resting posture alone couldn’t tell me how she felt.

I like this photograph for the explanation that goes with it. I watched a cow finish scratching, then photographed a moment that looks like something else.