The first snow falls in Rocky Mountain National Park as early as
October. And the elks move down and through the valley, where they still find
some grass to eat. The grass is no longer lush and green, but still
better than nothing.
But food isn't only the reason why elks are there. The bucks begin
to gather their harems and fight each other to succeed in this important
task.
We found a small herd near Moraine Park. The females appeared
relaxed and didn't pay much attention to their surroundings. But this
buck was furious about something and announced his presence with a bugle
call. This is the first stage of turning the herd into his own... Then
the buck will fight with a competitor, and if successful, he will gather
the herd and add it to his.
This time we weren't lucky enough to see a fight or any action
other than the bugle. But it was quite exciting to see the herd
relatively close and learn more about the
behavior of the elk :)
Here is a short video, recorded by enthusiasts representing
different sounds that can be heard during this important time for elk.
At about 44 seconds you can hear something close to what we heard that
day. Really close ;)
The pictures were taken on October 18, 2015.
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