Shots by Peter

Elk

Posted on by shotsbyp
The elk, or wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family (Cervida) in the world, and one of the largest land mammals in North America and Eastern Asia.
Scientific name: Cervus canadensis

Lifespan: 10 – 13 years (In the wild)

Mass:  Male: 320 – 330 kg  (Mature)
                        700 – 725 lb
             Female: 220 – 240 kg (Mature)
                       485 –  530 lb

Height: Male: 1.5 m ( 5 ft) (At Shoulder, Mature), Female: 1.3 m (4.5 ft) (At Shoulder)

 The elk are presently very active, engaged in the annual ritual termed “the rut” or, in other words the mating season. It begins in early September and is just about at an end. The dominant bulls collect harems, groups of cows typically numbering 20-25. They mate with all of them, while warding off the advances of less worthy suitors, generally younger bulls. This process leads to considerable fighting and to the victor go the spoils. It’s nature’s way of ensuring the survival of the species; only the very best genes get passed along to the breeding females. The skirmishes among the bulls can be very combative. We see that in the damage done to the surroundings; trees, fences and even the golf course greens (a favourite arena).
My first picture features an offspring from this ritual, most likely conceived during last autumn’s rut and born this past spring.
Young One

This next picture shows a mature cow, giving me a stern look as she passes by. They walk and run with their noses held high. I don’t know if it’s the result of their physical structure or they’re just snooty.

Haughty Cow

What I was really looking for was the bull who inhabits the area around the Three Sisters property development, about 4 km east of our house. Spurred on by accounts of his large size and majestic bearing, I’ve been watching for him, so far without success. Yesterday, my fortunes improved. Rolande and friend, Gail Murphy were on their way out of Canmore, bound for Calgary when they came upon the “Big Boy” and his harem. They graciously let me know of his whereabouts and I was able to locate him quite promptly. I managed to get 115 shots from different vantage points and I’ve gleaned a few favourites from among them that I’m sharing with you today.

This first one is a nice pose, albeit a little strange with that garland of brush hanging from his antler. He was walking away from me at the time, turning and looking back from time to time to see what I was up to. Surely he didn’t think I was going to attack!

Wary Bull

This side view, combined with frontal views I also took, enabled me to ascertain the size of his antlers; 7 points. The number of points is a good indicator of the maturity of the bull and typically, the more points the bigger the animal. This fellow is indeed a big one, in support of that hypothesis. I’ve never seen a bull with 8 points but reliable sources tell me they do exist.

Seven Points

My final choice is a picture taken through the trees and up a hill. This frontal shot provides a good view of the bull’s impressive “rack” and you can see what appear to be battle scars on his flank. He’s still wearing that quirky, antler adornment, seemingly modelling it for some members of his harem. They must not have been impressed; shortly afterward they wandered off.

Through the Trees

Enough bull for today. Hope you enjoyed the photographs.

The pictures were taken with a 100-400 mm, f4.5/f5.6 telephoto lens. The focal lengths varied from 380-400 mm. Exposures were f/5.6 @ISO 800, shutter speeds from 1/250 to 1/500 sec.

 

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