9/11 Report, Some Elk Basics

Sunday AM was a continuation of magnificent weather. Godzilla and a challenger traded bugles in the early dawn, foreshadowing the struggles for dominance yet to come.

Fewer elk in the valley this morning. Perhaps they anticipate Monday and Tuesday's predicted highs in the upper 80's. Should that prediction hold, the elk will be gone from the fields by 8AM.

So where are we at in the 2011 rut? The very beginning. The rut is picking up steam and it will accelerate for at least a couple of weeks before leveling off for another month. Bottom line -- there are at least 6 weeks of top quality viewing ahead, with the prospects for witnessing bull fights in Boxley Valley. After that, there will be very good elk viewing until the end of the year. It is quite a show.

Elk Viewing Fundamentals (or Big Mistakes I See in Boxley Valley)
Last night I saw three major mistakes made by hopeful elk watchers in Boxley Valley:

• Stopping where they saw elk last year. (I am not kidding.) Elk often move day to day, and year-to-year they often favor different fields. THE fundamental is to survey the entire valley from Ponca to the Upper Wilderness Trailhead before deciding where to stop.
  
• Stopping at the elk observation pullout near Lost Valley (and waiting for the elk). The elk observation pullout is just about the worst place in the valley to see elk. I see them there maybe 1% of the time.
  
• Stopping at the first elk visitors see before checking the valley. In some cases you might stop, if there is a bull fight going on, or a particularly huge bull was posing for you. Otherwise you should keep moving. The next field may have the elk viewing experience of a lifetime. Trust me on this. 

That's it for today. See the updated herd map below (updated 9/11):

Elk Rut News 9/10/11, Has Hacksaw Arrived?

A nice crowd was in Boxley Valley looking at the elk. My rough count would be at least 20 elk fans, 10 vehicles, mixed roughly 40%/60% between viewers and photographers respectively. Most were enjoying the show at the south end. I recognize many of the faces as traditional elk fans from Arkansas and Missouri. Welcome elk fans to the big dance of 2011.

Is This "Hacksaw"? If so, this is his 5th year in front of my lens.

I believe the big bull I got crossing the river on the 6th to be Hacksaw. I need to review my photos from other years. Hacksaw has given me many photos dating back to 2007. It is fascinating watching the bulls across years. I will have a verdict in a couple of days. For now, he has disappeared in a back field with his harem after kicking off the 2011 rut. Last year Hacksaw could not stand up to the challenge of big bulls that arrived later.

Godzilla and Hacksaw are the first two big bulls of the 2011 season. I saw another this morning, but did not get the shot. Heading out this evening for another go at him. I am putting together a 2011 list of the biggest rutting bulls. I hope to have it published by the end of next week.

Saturday morning was perfect elk viewing weather and the elk did not disappoint. Godzilla put in an appearance with his harem down at the south end. This is the third day running he has been in that field.

The reliable 43/21 intersection fields were loaded up with bull elk. I saw a new bull this morning that looks like a big herd bull class bull in that area. Otherwise, there appear to be at least 5 bulls in the 5x5 and up class.

Mid valley at the back of the field is another herd with a nice bull. This herd hangs back far from the road on private property so getting decent shots except landscapes is unlikely. This herd will no doubt move soon to other fields as the forage is exhausted. There will be more to report then.

9/10/11 Map Update 

Updated Map, Godzilla Revisited, Driving Safety

This morning the elk have moved a bit. One of the herds that were south of the Lost Valley entrance moved north to the Ponca Access fields.

Near the 43/21 Intersection had fewer elk this morning. There are some nice big bulls there grazing heavily readying themselves for the rut.

Godzilla is in the biggest herd. It is in the field bounded on the south by Smith Creek. He was moving his cows out this morning at 9AM, shortly after the sun hit the field.

This weekend promises to be great elk viewing. Unseasonably cool weather will hold up according to the forecast. Rain is possible, but elk love rain.  If it rains, viewing could be extended.

I got a better picture of Godzilla, he is an 8x6. A couple of his points are small and a little tough to see. The rule of thumb is that if you can hang a ring on a point, it counts. He has a point behind one of his eye guards -- this is tough to see unless you are up close.

Remember to drive slowly through the valley. The picture to the right is of a couple of spike bulls jumping in front of a van that I felt certain would hit them.  The van was just out of the frame to the right and approached them at 60+ MPH.  That is nuts. This miss was real close. I recommend 45 MPH tops, and when you see elk grazing on the roadside, just creep past them. Elk will bolt in front of you unexpectedly. Elk are huge animals and an accident could kill them and you.

9/9/11 herd locations map:

Updated 9/9 AM

Copyright Michael Dougherty 2011

GREAT Elk Viewing -- Introducing Named Bull "Godzilla"

Elk viewing this weekend should be very good. The weather forecast is about as good as it could with predicted highs in the upper 70's to low 80's. Equally important are the cool nights in the 50's. The slight chance of rain this weekend could provide some cloud cover keeping the sun off the fields for extended viewing.

Today there were 4 herds in the valley -- two were displaying rutting behavior. I only heard a couple of bugles this morning.

Godzilla

Today's big news is the first named bull of the year -- "Godzilla". He has been in the fields south of Cave Mountain Road. It is a little difficult to estimate his rack, it is irregular.

I believe he is either an 8x7 or a 8x6. In any case, he is the largest bull to show up so far this year.  I don't have a great picture of Godzilla yet to be sure about his point count. He definitely is one of the biggest bulls of recent years and he is larger than his current competition.

It will be interesting to see if he can stand up to the test of challenger bulls that will occur over the next few weeks.

Godzilla "running" a cow elk. This is rut behavior

Godzilla will be easy for everyone to ID. His irregular rack has unusual points at the ends of each side. There is some evidence of palmation in his antlers. He has an additional point behind one of his eye guards. Definitely a distinctive animal. There are other bulls in the his herd, but he is clearly the big guy.

Godzilla does not have the huge belly often seen on the final dominant bulls, but he is a very powerful bull elk and will be a capable battler. His body reminds me of the last year's Boxley Stud who ended up being one of the dominant bulls.

Below is the current herd location map. Today there were a lot of elk and my prediction is that this outstanding viewing will carry through to the weekend.

Current Elk Locations in Boxley Valley near Ponca, AR. 

2011 Elk Rut Begins 9/6/11

This morning I observed elk rutting behavior for the first time. I followed a large bull a half mile that joined a small cow herd. This is the first time I have actually seen first contact. Upon joining the cow herd he began territorial bugling. There is no question this was rutting behavior.

Further down the valley another group of elk contained a large herd bull. It still had ribbons of velvet hanging off its antlers, but it did bugle a couple of times.

The bottom line is that the 2011 rut is now underway. Rutting activity will increase going forward as more cows and bulls enter the rut. This traditionally peaks around October 1.

We are now at the early beginning of the 2011 Elk Rut. Cool weather seems to have set everything in motion early. The best is still to come.

New Elk Location Maps on Arkansas Wildlife Photography

Effective today, I am publishing monthly elk location maps on ArkansasWildlifePhotography.com. These will list herd locations by date. The posted dates in red show the herd locations.

Bear in mind that while elk may be in a field or group of fields for a week or more, they can quite suddenly move. This map and these dates should help you locate elk more quickly, but I always recommend checking the whole valley with each visit.

This map is representational and not exact in scale. I have relied on major landmarks and roads as reference points.

I will add new dates as I visit the valley. This map should be very readable on mobile phones for those who choose to carry the information with them.

Today there were many more elk after an extended period of practically none. During the upcoming rut we can expect to see the Boxley Valley become more lively. The rut is now just two weeks off.

I intend to update this map every few days.

Photo Ideas When Elk Disappear

Visitors will find my guidance useful in locating elk most of the time, but there are no guarantees. Yesterday was a good example, on a cool, overcast day there were only a handful of elk in Boxley Valley.

Determination Pays Off

What to do? Photographers should have secondary targets in mind. Many of my best photos have been taken on days when there were no elk to be found.

A perfect example of a secondary target is the picture to the right. I remember my thought process that day. "You are a pro, and pros always get something" -- that was my conversation with myself. Seeing no elk, I did notice that the morning fog was nice and that I might get a decent landscape. I lined this picture up, and as soon as I focused, one of two preening trumpeters spread his wings in a characteristic morning stretch. I have sold this picture many times.

Cha Ching

Maybe the most dramatic example is on the left. I decided to try to get a good picture of a swan on a beaver dam at the mill pond. After getting the scene composed, a coon swam out to the damn and challenged the swan to cross. This picture surely was something given as well as made, but I would not have got it if I had quit. I rate this picture, and the 30 odd frames I shot with it, as perhaps the best wildlife photo shoot I have taken of any species. Luck for sure, but it was based on determination.

One of My Best Landscapes

A third example is a landscape (right). This one was after being skunked by elk as well. Again the inspiration was the wonderful ground fog of Boxley Valley. I shot this picture as a HDR photo and it turned out to be a commercial success. You will find it on the wall at the Ponca Elk Education Center as a 6'x9' 3 panel print.

My point is don't be upset if the elk vanish and you feel skunked. Keep your eyes open, be alert, and be determined to find some other subjects. When disappointed with one subject, you should be on the lookout for another opportunity. Stay positive, the next photo could be a "lifetime list" photo. Pros don't quit, they refocus.