Elk inhabit Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park all year long. Not just on the edges of the village, but every nook and cranny in the place. In the fall, during the rut, these normally docile creatures engage in a hormone-fueled riot that can halt traffic and can make it downright hazardous to be about.
Most of the craziness occurs about the central field that lies west of the Albright Visitors Center and south of the hotel and dining hall. Here, a herd of Elk will congregate, and the dominant bull will make every effort to control their harem of cows. The cows themselves don’t seem too keen at all, and challenge the resolve of the bull to keep them in a group. Of course all of this plays out in one of the busiest traffic intersections in the park.
The rangers are charged with trying to maintain order during the Elk hijinks. The do a pretty good job, and generally manage to maintain good humor in the face of wild animals running amok and humans being just plain silly.
Nah, Mr. Ranger is not attacking the Elk with shovels, though perhaps… Instead he clanks them together in an effort to move the cows away from the road.
And one final image: Below I include a rather frank image of a common bull behavior – yep, urinating on the ole antlers. Impressive, I must say.
Images in this entry were recorded at around 19:00 MDT on September 22, 2010, using the Nikon D3s and the AF-S Zoom-NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G VR lens at 400mm. Exposure was in the neighborhood of f/9 and 1/320s, ISO 12800. RAW conversion, noise reduction, and capture sharpening conducted using Nikon NX2. Further processing, including contrast enhancement (curves), local contrast enhancement (USM), and output sharpening (USM) conducted using Photoshop CS5.
*Elk refers to the Rocky Mountain subspecies, C. canadensis nelsoni.
Copyright 2011 Peter F. Flynn. No usage permitted without prior written consent. All rights reserved.
Tags: Albright Visitors Center, C. canadensis nelsoni, Elk, Mammoth Hot Springds, Rocky Mountain Elk, Yellowstone National Park, YNP
Prolific poster you are! Great shots that clearly show how close they are to cars and people. The last shot of the well aimed bathroom break was outstanding. I wonder if they ever miss the antlers? If he does, it would go right into his ear. The one shot looks like he is bugling (high pitched mating type call). That sound brings back some deep rooted tribal instinct in me. That instinct tells me to get out of there.
Hi B,
Yes, that ‘sitting-bull’ is bugling. Visit the northern section of YNP in September, and you’ll hear this haunting refrain constantly – weirdly beautiful, kinda like the (bag) pipes. Fall in the park is simply awesome.
Cheers,
P.