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Elk


Elk
Photo Information
Copyright: Richard Vincent (earthtraveler) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 443 W: 129 N: 963] (3529)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-06-23
Categories: Mammals
Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ50
Exposure: f/3.6, 1/400 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-09-11 9:56
Viewed: 1774
Points: 32
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Elk
Cervus elaphus

Subspecies
• Rocky Mountain (Rocky Mountain West)
• Roosevelt's (Pacific Coast)
• Tule (Central California)
• Manitoban (northern Great Plains)
• Merriam's (Southwest and Mexico) - Extinct
• Eastern (east of the Mississippi) - Extinct

Who's Who
Bull Male elk
Cow Female elk
Calf Baby elk
Spike Yearling bull elk

Size
Newborn calf 35 pounds (16 kg)
Cow 500 punds (225 kg)
4 1/2 feet (1.3 m) at the shoulder
6 1/2 feet (2 m) from nose to tail
Bull 700 pounds (315 kg)
5 feet (1.5 m) at the shoulder
8 feet (2.4 m) from nose to tail

Color
• Body varies from deep copper brown to light tan
• Rump patch light beige
• Legs and neck often darker than body

Calves
• Typically born in late May through early June
• Calves are born spotted and scentless
• They spend their first few weeks hiding motionless while their mothers feed

Diet
• Summer grasses and forbs
• Spring and fall grasses
• Winter grasses, shrubs, tree bark and twigs
• Elk may supplement their diet at licks, where they take in minerals that may help them grow healthy coats and produce nutritious milk
• An elk's stomach has four chambers: the first stores food, and the other three digest it

Antlers
• Only male elk have antlers
• Bulls shed and grow a new set of antlers every year
• New antlers are covered in fuzzy skin called velvet
• Antlers harden by late summer and the velvet peels away
• By September, antlers are solid bone
• A set of antlers on a mature bull can weigh up to 40 pounds

•Vocalizations
Bull elk bugle to attract cows and advertise their dominance to other bulls
Bull elk grunt at cows straying from the harem
Cows bark to warn others of danger
Cows mew to keep track of one another
Cows signal to their calves by whining softly
Calves in distress bleat for their mothers

Staying Comfortable
• In cold snowy climates, cows, calves and young bulls migrate to foothills and valleys in winter
• An experienced elk, usually the lead cow, guides a herd between seasonal ranges

The Rut
• Elk breed in the fall
• Bulls gather cows and calves into small groups called harems
• Bulls wallow in mud to coat themselves with "perfume" to attract cows
• They also bugle and rub trees, shrubs and the ground with their antlers to attract cows and intimidate other bulls
• Bulls aggressively guard their harems from other bulls
• Sometimes, bulls wage violent battles for a harem, occasionally even fighting to the death

Range
• Prior to European settlement, more than 10 million elk roamed nearly all of the United States and parts of Canada
• Today, about one million elk live in the western United States, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina, and from Ontario west in Canada

Management
• European settlers reduced the elk population from 10 million to less than 100,000 by 1900
• Hunters and wildlife managers began transplanting elk all over the United States and Canada in the early 1900s
• They captured elk from Yellowstone National Park and transported them by wagon, truck and train
• Elk herds re-established in most western states, and in Pennsylvania
• State and provincial game agencies eventually restored herds in Arkansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario, Kentucky, Tennessee and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
• State and provincial game managers conduct annual elk counts and use the data to set hunting seasons and the number of licenses issued
• State and federal agencies team with groups like the Elk Foundation to purchase and improve wildlife habitat

Source: All About Elk--website

Aperture Priority
ISO 200
F-stop 3.6
Exp. 1/400 sec.
Lens 420mm equivalent
handheld

Thank you for taking a look and to you who choose to share your thoughts... I appreciate it.
Richard
tiklod, Argus, Necipp, Arjun, parthasarathi, matthew, Silke, eqshannon, jrobertop, jmirah, gannu, Jonas_Schmitt_ has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • tiklod Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 290 W: 74 N: 875] (3397)
  • [2007-09-11 10:01]

Salut Richard,
Super photo! Beau milieu naturel. Les couleurs sont bien exposées. J'aime particulièrement ta photo pour le naturel de l'animal qui broute sans se soucier de ce qui l'entoure.
Bravo,

Claude

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3825 W: 190 N: 11396] (35111)
  • [2007-09-11 10:11]

Hello Richard,
Great capture of a bull Elk sharply presented in a fine composition with its natural habitat.
I can imagine that the horns of this individual must be enormous now in the rutting season!
TFS and best regards,
Ivan

Hi great shot
Timing is very good good colours
and composition
well done
Toba

  • Great 
  • Arjun Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 359 W: 7 N: 1114] (5420)
  • [2007-09-11 10:40]

hi richard,
nice picture of this elk grazing the grass.nice details and good compositon . POV is also good.
tfs

Nice grab highlighting the antlers. A great informative note.

hi richard
nice shot of this elk love the antlers they are so imposing. good composition, detail and the note is very informative tfs

mat

  • Great 
  • Silke Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 727 W: 98 N: 1694] (5406)
  • [2007-09-11 13:13]

Wow!
Superb details and outstanding composition as well as excellent depth of colour. A fabulous posting
TFs
silke

They are as magnificent as you portray them in your picture Richard. Nice true colors. A grand beast is it not? I have only seen two and from a distance, but does get the adrenaline going.
bob

Hi Richard,
Pleasant composition! Wonderful animal!
Very good colors and sharpness.
Excellent POV and DOV.
Well done!
Friendly,
José Roberto

Richard,

Outstanding, lovely image of this elk, great capture, you should be proud.

fototab

Hi Richard,
Great Capture!! Excellent exposure and composition. Very well done. Thanks for sharing.

Best regards,
Jim

  • Great 
  • gannu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1169 W: 4 N: 3262] (14691)
  • [2007-09-12 5:47]

Richard such a lovely note and such a superb catch. The composition is lovely. The focus is pretty sharp and quality of the picture if fantastic. Ganesh

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2007-09-12 19:35]

Hello Richard

I really like this shot and the composition.The POV is very good.Excellent focus and details.The colours are natural and well saturated.TFS

Rob

Hello Richard excellent capture of this amazing animal, good sharp detail throughout tfs rgds Necip.

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1899 W: 36 N: 5579] (18518)
  • [2007-09-15 10:35]

Hi Richard,
Splendid shot of the Elk in the natural environment. Very sharp image with perfect lighting and focus. I like those awesome antlers. Excellent POV to portray it and very nicely composed. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon

Hi!
Very nice picture of this giant elk.The only thing I don´t like here is the sharpness,which is not so good.
But otherwise a good picture!
Tfs,Jonas

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