It’s the time of the year again for the rut. Elk and other ungulates butt heads with each other for dominace and mating rights. Mammoth Hot Springs has been host for the Elk of Yellowstone for decades. It is part of the park that has higher temperatures than most other locations for a longer duration of the year. A couple weeks back after the first heavy weeks of snow, i visited the park hoping that the first snow had pushed the elk into the hot springs area. Well, they weren’t. The number of Elk there was a lot fewer than normal, and this got me thinking. With the wamer winter last year, the wolves moving into the Mammoth area, and the famous #6 dying last winter, what will Elk do this year? Well i don’t know, 2 weeks ago when i went there were some elk and one big boy bull. Smaller than #6 but still a good six pointer. The Blacktail Plateau Wolf Pack was only a mile from Mammoth, all 11 of them and the elk weren’t too concerned. The weather has finally turned to fall, it has warmed up and the snow is mostly gone already. If you’re wondering why i’m going through all this its because they all affect where and what i can photograph, and is therefore important to keep in mind.
Images captured with D2Hs, 300f4, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film