2013 PA Elk Rut Winding Down
The rut of the Pennsylvania Elk begins about the beginning of September and lasts through October with September having more activity. If you follow my photo blog you would know I visited during the peak of the rut in September. This past week, some friends, my wife, and I spent three days in the wilds of Elk Country. The rut has quieted down a lot compared to my previous visit. There was still a lot of bugling in the morning and evening hours but I didn't witness any fighting and only one pair of elk sparring. That activity was witnessed from a great distance before sunrise so photographing the event was impossible. Another aspect of this trip I was excited about was the fall color. This part of the state is normally in peak color in the middle of October. Heavy rains before we arrived knocked a lot of the leaves to the ground. Even so, the scenery was special.
Each evening the viewing areas along Dewey Road on Winslow Hill were very active. Below is a photo of a portion of a herd on the hill. The camera's natural functionality is to brighten a scene. The photos in this post were taken shortly after sunrise or before sunset. For the purpose of easy viewing, I processed them allowing the brightness to show.
Elk Herd on Winslow Hill off Dewey Road (Canon EOS 7D, Canon 24-70mm 2.8L, f/8 @ 6.3mm, 1/160, ISO 400)
Many of the bull elk we saw were small in stature. Don't get me wrong, these are really big animals and even though they are used to people being around, you don't want to get too close. Telephoto lenses are essential when photographing these majestic animals.
Bull Elk (Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 300mm 2.8L, 2X EF Extender III, f/7.1 @ 600mm, 1/125, ISO 400)
This bull was the biggest in the meadow this evening. Although there were five or six other bulls in the area, none of them challenged this guy. A bull elk may breed as many as 20 cows in a season.
Bull Elk (Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 300mm 2.8L, 2X EF Extender III, f/5.6 @ 600mm, 1/30, ISO 400, +1 EV)
Since it was evident I wasn't going to witness any fighting, I wondered what I was going to photograph that wouldn't be repetitive. I began looking for the intimate side of these animals. The calves are mixed in the herds and you can hear them communicate with the elk cows before going in to nurse. In a previous blog I stated how surprised I was to see this activity during the rut. I witnessed it many times during this trip.
Calf Nursing (Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 300mm 2.8L, 2X EF Extender III, f/5.6 @ 600mm, 1/25, ISO 400, +1 EV)
This young bull and elk cow appears to be playing. This photo was taken shortly before both animals raised to two feet and began pawing at each other like two rearing horses. I was too close for my current camera configuration to photograph the activity.
Elk Being Playful (Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 300mm 2.8L, 2X EF Extender III, f/5.6 @ 600mm, 1/125, ISO 400)
Even though elk was the photographic focus of this trip, I cannot pass up an opportunity if I see one. The fall colors and setting of this Eastern Bluebird made this photo irresistible to pass up.
Eastern Bluebird (Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 300mm 2.8L, 2X EF Extender III, f/5.6 @ 600mm, 1/100, ISO 1600)
I would like to digress for a moment and talk about our accommodations for the three days in Elk Country. Our friends Bob and Sue joined my wife Elena and I at the Elk Terrace Lodge near Winslow Hill. The lodge is one of just a few homes in a gated development that seems to be "in the middle of nowhere". Whenever you step outside all you hear are the birds, the trees blowing in the breeze, and during the rut, the bugling of elk. Below is a photo of the lodge from the road on an adjacent hillside.
The Elk Terrace Lodge sets atop one of the highest elevations in the area. Below is a photo from the front porch showing the beautiful view.
To find more information on the Elk Terrace Lodge in Benezette, PA view the Elk Terrace Lodge website.
Back to the elk. It is not uncommon for bulls to meander through the herd of elk cows seemingly looking for a willing cow. The bull in the photo below visited a cow that was laying in the meadow.
Bull Elk Smelling Elk Cow (Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 300mm 2.8L, 2X EF Extender III, f/5.6 @ 600mm, 1/80, ISO 400)
This elk cow displayed a lack of interest causing the bull to move on.
Elk Cow Rejecting Bull (Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 300mm 2.8L, 2X EF Extender III, f/7.1 @ 600mm, 1/100, ISO 400)
Here are a couple more shots of the largest bull on Winslow Hill that one evening. He paced the area circling the herd.
Large Bull Elk (Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 300mm 2.8L, 2X EF Extender III, f/5.6 @ 600mm, 1/100, ISO 400)
Bull Elk (Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 300mm 2.8L, 2X EF Extender III, f/7.1 @ 600mm, 1/125, ISO 400)
Near the woods line, in open vegetation below the trees, I found a Yellow-rumped Warbler. I have seen a lot of these birds this fall. They will be around through November. Hopefully, I will see them again in the spring when they are wearing their breeding colors.
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 300mm 2.8L, 2X EF Extender III, f/5.6 @ 600mm, 1/100, ISO 1600)
This bull elk was resting in the meadow.
Bull Elk Resting In Meadow (Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 300mm 2.8L, 2X EF Extender III, f/7.1 @ 600mm, 1/125, ISO 400)
Here is an elk cow interacting with a calf. I watched as the calves grazed about the meadow, but I noticed they do stay quite close to their mother.
Elk Cow With Calves (Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 300mm 2.8L, f/2.8 @ 300mm, 1/200, ISO 1250, +1 EV)
We saw this Bald Eagle sitting on a hemlock branch along Elk Terrace Drive. It takes anywhere from two to five years for a Bald Eagle to develop its pure white head and tail. Based on the coloring, we are looking at a bird that is approximately two to five years old.
Bald Eagle (Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 300mm 2.8L, 2X EF Extender III, f/8 @ 600mm, 1/1600, ISO 800)
Before ending this post I have to show one of the nicest photos I took on this trip. The posturing of the bull on the hilltop with the blue mountains creates a feeling that is hard to describe. A scene like this shows that nature is the most beautiful thing we have.
Majestic Bull Elk (Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon 300mm 2.8L, f/2.8 @ 300mm, 1/500, ISO 1250, +1 EV)
Absolutely nothing can take away the beauty of the Pennsylvania Wilds. For those of you who cannot make this trip, I hope you can experience the majesty of these beautiful animals and countryside through these photographs.
One of the rules of blogging is to keep them short (which I didn't do here) so for more PA Elk images made during this photo trip, view the images titled "PA Elk (Oct 2013)" at the end of the elk gallery on this website. More photos of the Bald Eagle can be seen at the end of the birds of prey gallery.
Thanks for looking,
Dan
