By Dennis Smith
My 21-year-old grandson returned from an archery elk hunt earlier this fall and reported that, although he and his buddy saw plenty of game, they weren’t able to get close enough to arrow a bull elk. Still, he said, the experience was absolutely unforgettable. He told me they slept under the stars at the timberline, watched a black bear foraging for berries, had a bobcat respond to their elk calls one evening and witnessed a giant stand of orange and gold aspen trees light up at sunrise like a wildfire in the Medicine Bow Mountains.
It is precisely this kind of serendipity that draws many of us into the wild each year. We may tell ourselves we’re after Colorado greenback cutthroat trout on a secluded mountain stream or that we’re on a mission to restock the freezer with prime venison for the winter, but it is often an unexpected turn of events that proves to be the highlight of the day.
I live about 30 miles from Rocky Mountain National Park and like to wander up there as time and opportunity allow. Sometimes I fly-fish, other times I just wander aimlessly and, in September, I watch the wild elk herds gather for the ancient ritualistic rut. The elk rut usually begins in late August and continues well into October, depending on a host of biological variables. The event draws thousands of spectators, not just from Colorado, but from around the country. Most of us hope, of course, to see the big bulls and get dramatic photos of them battling for mating rights to the cows.
I’m as guilty as anyone of being fascinated by the whole event, and while it’s true that hair-raising battles between bulls break out occasionally, they usually happen just before I get there or right after I leave, or they take place so far from the prescribed viewing locations that photographing them with anything less than a $10,000 telephoto lens is next to impossible.
Over the years, I learned that whether or not you bag that trophy buck or bull, or capture the highly prized wildlife photo you’re after, there are likely all kinds of other equally interesting wildlife dramas taking place right under your nose that will make your day if you just open your eyes. Last year, for instance, a yearling cow elk sauntered directly up to me, nuzzled my camera and proceeded to graze at my feet while I continued to shoot photos of the herd for nearly a half hour. The event made my trip. In the photo above, a black-billed magpie landed on the back of this cow elk, who took an apparent interest in the bird. The magpie is obviously canvassing the elk for wood ticks and is all business, but it sure looks like the two of them are having a friendly discussion. Now, we all know animals can’t actually talk to each other, but when Mother Nature reveals something like this, it’s enough to make you wonder. Isn’t it?