Wapiti
A bull elk rounds up his harem in the early morning hours.
Elk, or wapiti, are animals we see regularly on our land and in the surrounding ecosystem. Their presence is dynamic in that they are often moving between elevations and drainages at various times of the year.
The large herd made up of cows, calves and young “spikes” generally arrives on our property shortly after the close of hunting season each winter and stays until the green wave of vegetation flows up the mountainside in early summer.
For most of the winter months they are barely visible as they hug the ridge tops of our highest hills, taking advantage of the creases in the landscape to shelter from weather and to search out winter vegetation. We maintain a spring that pops out of one of the coulees to ensure the elk and other wildlife have access to water throughout the colder months.
The elk are barely visible on the wind swept ridge tops of the land in our northwest corner.
Elk herd returning onto our property in early morning after accessing the creek a couple miles away.
At some point in most winters, the snow gets too deep to manage on the hilltop and so the elk make their way down onto the lower elevation of our land for several weeks, usually in early spring. Once they are down on the flats, they have fewer options for finding water and so will rest all day and then travel several miles to access the nearest creek once night has fallen.
We never know where we will find the animals when we leave for our daily run so have to be willing to adapt our route to accommodate.
Capola the llama expressing some concern at how close the elk are moving to his territory.
The herd will usually hang out on our land until most of the calves are born in late spring and then begin making their way up the mountain to take advantage of lush green meadows on the high plateaus for the summer months.
A young elk calf races to catch up to mama.
We rarely see mature bull elk on our place as the males tend to herd together, separately from the cows, until the rut in the fall when they will battle each other for the right to mate with as many cows as possible.
Two bull elk searching for a winter meal along Blacktail Creek in Yellowstone.
A large bull elk moves quietly through the landscape.
Despite their size, elk are surprisingly quiet as they make their way through the trees. On more than one occasion I have been startled to find myself much closer than I wanted to be to an animal simply because I was unaware of its presence.
A European starling perches on the rear end of an elk as it rests in the sagebrush.
A photo taken this morning of a tiny part of the herd lounging in the pasture. To get this shot I dressed from head to toe in camo and approached quietly into the wind. Unlike the elk in Yellowstone, the animals on our place are very easily spooked by humans.
To hear more about the elk that share our land, be sure to listen to my podcast on the subject by clicking the button below, or by downloading the latest episode from Apple Podcasts or Spotify.