Elk Bugling

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.