Hot Weather Shortening Elk Viewing & Fall Color

The weather of the last few days has changed elk movements back to a more summer-like pattern. What this means is that the viewing periods are shorter, more compressed into the ends of the day. Elk despise heat and sunlight. This is predicted to change early next week.

The Boxley Beast and One of His Harem

This morning the elk viewing was over at 8:30.

How this impacts the rut is not very clear. Two small bulls put on a show for us this morning and they have only recently scraped off their velvet. This is pretty easy to ID because first their antlers are bone white, and second, their were still small pieces of velvet on them. This would place them roughly three weeks late.

Crowds of viewers are still enjoying the daily show. This morning there were signs that some of the elk herd has migrated to the north end of the valley. A few were visible when we drove through and a few cars were parked in the area.

Fall color is in its earliest stages now.  It is time to be thinking about landscape photography. I have spent a little time scouting out destinations on the river. One of the interesting things about river landscape photography is that it is quite different each year. Flash floods move huge rocks around changing the look of many areas. This year's low water makes the river look better to my eye. Straight bank lines are transformed to scalloped lines as gravel bars emerge in low water conditions.

Mark you calendars, fall color is just a week or two to peak color.  Also remember I will be doing a free elk viewing workshop at the Ponca Elk Education Center at 2PM each day on the 22nd and 23rd of October. These are the dates of the annual Color Fest. Stop in and say hi. Mandy and I will have a booth there as well.