It seems that when September and October roll around we find ourselves asking where
Fall leaves in Big Cottonwood Canyon
summer went. Summer seems to fly by so quickly. Soon the first reminders appear telling us that winter is right around the corner.
A Bull Moose enjoying a walk through the river
The changing of the season becomes evident in the foliage and in the actions of wildlife. The leaves change color from green to golds, reds, orange and browns.
The moose, as mentioned a couple posts ago, enter the rut or mating season. During this time the bulls go through some big changes. Much time is spent rubbing off the velvet that covers their no longer growing antlers. This is done on rocks, trees or any other hard object. The removal process of the velvet results in the points becoming sharp, which may be used to defend their territory from other bulls during the rut. In this photo you can see that the most of the velvet cover no longer remains over the antlers, and that the points are sharp. It’s also evident that the removing the velvet from inside the spoons can take a little longer.
Bull Moose antlers
The bull in this photo had a cow with him, however she stayed in some brush… until she felt like I had taken up enough of their time. The bull decided to lay down, while the cow came out of the brush and gave me the eye.
Bull Moose in Big Cottonwood Canyon
As I raised the camera, she decided enough is enough and lunged at me, telling me to move on. I took her hint and got out of her way. I was a bit to close, so she had every right to be a little upset. This goes to show that their emotions run a little wild during this season, so keep that in mind when watching a bull and cow during the rut.
One of my favorite things to watch in the fall is the elk rut. My favorite place to enjoy this is in Yellowstone National Park. During the elk rut the bulls gather as many females as possible for mating purposes. This often means some big battles between the bulls and can make for some exciting photography.
One very early morning I hiked out to a favorite location in hopes of being able to photograph a battle or two just as the sun was rising. I got a couple of shots but was able to take some video using a DSLR camera and a very long lens. In the video you can see a good size bull as he bugles and up to 4 bulls battling in a thick grove of trees. If you listen closely you can hear the large antlers and they go to battle. I can’t describe the feeling as you have all this activity going on around you. Its incredible!
Adventures of a Photographer 