Santa's reindeer?

Although their noses may be similar to Rudolph's at one point or another, and they are in the same family (Cervidae), Rocky Mountain elk or Cervus canadensis nelsoni, are probably not suitable for pulling a sleigh.  Wapiti, as elk are also known, occupy a broad swath of the western United States, and unlike deer, are grazers because of their four chambered stomachs.  They are alarmingly large animals.  The cow elk weigh roughly 500-530 pounds, and a bull elk's weight ranges between 710 and 730 pounds.  Bull elk need that extra weight for many reasons, one of which is the tremendous racks or antlers they grow and shed each year.

From pure observation, the groups of elk within a given herd might contain a bull and a harem of perhaps 10 cows.  But last week a fairly large herd wandered through the sagebrush.  We counted four bulls, several spikes (yearling bull elk), and as many as forty cows.  It is somewhat unusual to see a group that mixed during the winter months, when the bull elk seem to be more solitary.  They have already done the job of extending their blood line, and can frequently be sighted ambling alone.

...and finally, a demonstration of why they are called Wapiti.  According to Wikipedia, the word is derived from Shawnee and Cree, and roughly translates as "white rump".

Merry Christmas and to all, a good night!

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image

 

Hunting season

Regardless of whether your feelings about hunting are in the line of "Run, Bambi, run!", or you revel in the thrill and skill necessary for a successful hunt, there is no doubt this is hunting season.  Deer, elk, bear, and cougar are the animals being hunted at this time of year in our area, and hunters with massive amounts of equipment, including all terrain vehicles (ATVs), numerous coolers for packing the meat, as well as campers, tents, and stoves line the highways.  Each hunter has his or her favorite hunting spot within units designated by the state Department of Game and Fish.

Personally, I prefer hunting with my camera.  Below are two photographs I shot one morning of a mule deer.

The elk herds tend to gather later in the winter.  This shot was recently exhibited in the Taos Select section of the Taos Fall Art Festival.

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image

Winter remnants

The human brain is an amazing thing.  At some point during the summer, when the night breeze moves lightly over our faces, I will barely be able to recall the depths of winter.  But at present, it is not quite ready to vacate the mesa.

The elk seem to be very active right now.  A herd of about fifty animals, all cows and only one bull, were literally thundering over the land just before sunrise last week, kicking up the newly fallen snow.

I call this image "Snow Nude" because of the graceful way the snow fell and folded over itself in a drift.

And a sign that the snow does melt to nourish the land for the growing season.  

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image

Happy New Year!

I hope the holidays held joy and peace for all of you, and that 2012 will be a year filled with creativity and sanity in the world!

This first blog is dedicated to Sam Taylor - artist, sculptor, and photographer - who found bones and antlers fascinating subjects, and never ceased in his pursuit of art in whatever form.

Elk and deer are amazing animals for many reasons.  They belong to the same family and genus.  Males produce incredible sets of antlers, which are used during the rut to compete with other males. When the rut ends, they no longer need the antlers and will go to great lengths to remove their head dresses.  If you walk in a forest of aspen, you will notice that the lowest branches seem to be above about six feet.  This is because the elk have rubbed their antlers against those branches to rid themselves of the annoying appendages.  Thank you, Donna and Dave, for providing these beautiful subjects.

Antler base

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the iamge