Lots of Bull!

The  past several years, a number of bull elk have wintered along I-90 only 12 minutes from my home.  I have ventured out a number of times and shot photos of the bulls.  I've even had one published in the Wyoming Wildlife magazine.  With the snow we received on Christmas day, they have reappeared in their traditional hideout, so I went out and spent some time photographing them this afternoon.  Their were nine bulls in the bunch this time, and while I couldn't seem to get close for the longest time due to shifting wind conditions and the movement of the bulls, everything came together perfectly right at sunset.  I'm totally stoked about the silhouette images.  I've got a sneaking suspicion one of these images may well end up as my donation to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation annual banquet in Sheridan. 

Yellowstone in Winter--December 2009--Day 4

I apologize for the delay in making this last post about my experiences in Yellowstone.  I got caught up in things to do once I got home and with New Years's in there as well, well, here we are on Sunday evening finally catching up.

Thursday morning started out gray, as had the previous morning though I could see breaks in the clouds off to the east and hoped conditions would improve.  This big 7x7 (the third different 7x7 bull I had seen) fed alongside the road with his other pals, so I did shoot some images, although they lack the real dynamic pizzaz of the other morning images.  I love elk though (I've even been called an Elkaholic), so I was compelled to stop and document the sight.

From there on towards Tower Junction, the wildlife was scattered.  I saw much more than the previous few days, but again, most of the animals were at a great distance, and with time limited, I didn't stop and attempt to get closer to any that I saw.  Finally, as I neared the wolf jam from the previous day, I encountered a coyote.  The light had indeed improved, so I kept pace with the animal, shooting many images.  He approached another coyote and they did some sort of dominance ritual before seperating their own directions.  I shot several images of both animals before determining that it was time to head for home.

I have a number of shows coming up in the months ahead, so my time will be limited.  I'm hoping to return to Yellowstone in February.  I don't know if it will happen, but I'll keep you posted as to my plans here on the blog.  I'm also researching a planned trip to the canyonlands in Utah for Spring break.  I have never been to that portion of the country, so if anyone has some great location tips or some "must do" ideas, I'd love to hear them.  I'll keep posting new images as they happen when I get a chance to slip out on a weekend, or after school some nights, but that really doesn't happen very often.  I'm usually at school before dawn and there until light has ended.  The life of a school teacher is wonderful, but the hours during the school year are long indeed.  Later!