Elk at Wichita Mountains on Day 4 With a Porcupine Encounter

On my fourth day, September 11th, at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, I focused on elk at Wichita Mountains, starting the morning much like I did on Day 3. I was up before sunrise, sipping coffee at camp, when elk bugling carried through the darkness again. This time it sounded like more bulls had joined in, setting the tone for the day ahead.

Elk at Sunrise

I left camp and drove west on Highway 49. Just before Indiahoma Road, I spotted a bull elk grazing in a field on the south side of the road. I parked on top of a hill nearby to watch it. At first, it was still too dark to photograph, so I waited for the sunrise. As the light came up, the elk was still there, and I managed to get a couple of shots as it moved out of the field. While I waited, I could hear the nearby bugling of other elk in the woods, a magical morning moment.

A Bull Elk and a Surprise Porcupine

After photographing the bull, I continued south on Indiahoma Road, past the road leading to French Lake. A bit further down, I saw several cow elk and another bull elk. While the cows wandered into the woods, the bull elk stayed right by the road, giving me the perfect opportunity to get a lot of photos.

While I was snapping away, something caught the bull’s attention, and mine too. A porcupine was climbing down a nearby tree. This was a special treat. I had seen my first porcupine at the refuge just last spring, about a mile from this spot, but this time I was able to get even better photos. You can read more about that first encounter here (Encountering a Porcupine at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge).

With photos of both a bull elk and a porcupine, I knew it was going to be an amazing day—and I had barely started!

White-Tailed Deer and Collared Lizards

As I continued south on Indiahoma Road, I came across a few white-tailed deer and was able to get a close-up shot of a fawn. I then headed into town for gas and lunch but returned later in the evening, eager to explore more.

I drove toward Post Oak Lake and spotted a couple of collared lizards basking on the rocks near the road. Naturally, I stopped to photograph them, how could I resist?

An Elk in French Lake

After photographing the lizards, I made my way to French Lake and took a walk along the trail that circles the southern part of the lake. Not far along the trail, I heard a noise in the water. To my surprise, a cow elk was standing in the lake, munching on the leaves of lotus plants floating on the surface. I wasn’t expecting to see an elk doing this, so it was a stunning experience.

This behavior piqued my curiosity, so I looked into it later. While elk are excellent swimmers and will cross water to escape predators or reach new areas, it’s not common for them to swim just to feed on aquatic plants like lotus leaves. Elk typically graze on grasses, bark, and herbaceous plants, but this cow elk seemed to be enjoying its watery meal!

I’ll share better photos and a video of this behavior in an upcoming post, so stay tuned for that.

Wrapping Up Day 4

Seeing that cow elk feeding in the lake was the perfect way to end an already fantastic day. Day 4 was full of surprises, and I can’t wait to share how things unfolded on Day 5. Stay tuned!

Oh, and before I forget, I almost left out one last sighting. I managed to photograph a young bull elk with an underbite! It was quite the unique look, and I’m glad I caught it before wrapping up the day. Nature never ceases to surprise me.

Seeing that cow elk feeding in the lake was the perfect way to end an already fantastic day. Day 4 was full of surprises, and things didn’t slow down on Day 5 either. You can follow the next part of the trip here: Day 5 at Wichita Mountains: Elk, Roadrunners, and a Green Heron.