A brilliant red sunset the night before
promised a beautiful day, as did the weather forecast, so I was on the road
before dawn on the way to Pennsylvania’s elk range. Fog
developed as the sun rose; but this time the fog wasn’t in the stream valleys, it was high on
the top of the plateau.
As I traveled along Bennetts Branch a young bull
elk came into view along the road.
After driving into the fog on high, what was there but the non-typical bull that I’d photographed earlier in the fall (see
this post for a better photograph) along
with a young bull also with non-typical antlers –
Up on top, in a field maintained as a food
plot there were more elk, several cows and the impressive bull that was
accompanying them wherever they went –
Several photographers, yours truly included, waited and waited for
the fog to dissipate – it did after what seemed a long, long time. By that time
the bull, probably exhausted from the exertions of the rut, lay down and a cow
nursed her growing calf –
But the bull wasn’t too exhausted to bugle once again
–
As the fog lifted even more he walked over to
an area of goldenrod, raked the ground with his antlers and, suitably decorated,
headed for the nearest patch of forest to spend the day –
The sun rose higher, all the elk
disappeared into the forest, and I headed south to the Quehanna Wild Area to search
for elk sign in open wetlands and food plots in that more remote area.
Along the way it was pretty obvious that the
fall colors were at or near their peak –
Some of the Quehanna wetlands contain an
abundance of sphagnum moss and the sedge called cotton grass –
With sunset approaching it was time to head
back to the old farms on Winslow Hill. There, a fellow photographer had located
a bull elk bedded in a patch of goldenrod within a sparse woodland. All that
could be seen of him were his antlers – can you find him?
Here he is –
After a patience-trying wait the bull rose,
walked into the adjacent field and began feeding –
After a while he, like the bull in the morning, lay down in the field –
Then, with fading light, it was time to head
for home. Almost a half hour later, in an old field with a fencerow of tall shrubs partially blocking the view from the road, was the last elk of the day, another non-typical bull –
Then, with fading light, it was time to head
for home. Almost a half hour later, in an old field with a fencerow of tall shrubs partially blocking the view from the road, was the last elk of the day, another non-typical bull –
Almost home and a harvest moon rose above the
trees –
