In sunsets’ final gleam, a bull, a cow, and a calf from an elk herd during their seasonal rut, the only time the mature bulls and cows hang out together.

Two older bulls and two cows in the meadow near the creek. I was perhaps 600 feet from them, looking down into the valley’s dusk.

Most of the herd, including the largest bull, were across the road and up the hill into the shadowy forest.

Early the next morning, the herd was across and farther up the creek and again moving up into the trees with the bulls bugling and fighting as they went.

In this crop, two large bulls tangle antlers. In the full image below, a young bull can be seen moving in to join the fight. One of the large bulls briefly hooked antlers with him as they moved on into the trees and out of view.

I’d like to have more telephoto power and a faster lens for making elk images at these great distances at dawn and dusk. I rarely see them when there’s enough light for great exposures.

The young bull below was watching evening battles between the big guys from a safe distance. He was much closer to me than the action near the creek and just about the right distance for my 100-400 mm zoom.