Looking Back

Today was an off day for me so I dig around old photos and see if there are any I have missed, or never did anything with.  The photo below is from November 5 a couple of years ago -- proof that great photos are still possible, really for months to come.

This is a river crossing with JYD, a bull still with us and very active in the 2013 rut. Here he is at the end of a river crossing. He is drinking getting ready to bed down. I will never forget this crossing. It included nearly a hundred elk and 3 different herd bulls over a 45 minute period.  You can see the buffalo is a trickle in the bottom of the picture.  The satellite bull is wary of JYD, the 3 cow elk seem to be admiring JYD.  I love the light in this picture.

Taken November 5, 2010

In-Depth Elk Rut Coverage Begins Next Week

It's finally time. Time for the annual Arkansas elk rut, the 2011 edition.

Arkansas Wildlife Magazine Back Cover,
Many Would Ignore This Chance

The real action for the elk rut begins just 3 weeks from now. At that time, the arrival of the big bulls signals the annual spectacle of bugling and periodic bull fights. Until then, bull elk and cow elk have been in separate herds since the last rut. The annual mating ritual will begin.

Photographers will want to prepare for the elk season. There are a few fundamental that matter most.

First, careful thought must be given to exposure. Elk are a very dark subject -- it is pretty easy to get the exposure too dark and lose detail as a result. For example, dew-laden grass can be pretty bright. Elk shot against this backdrop need to be over-exposed. Elk shot in dark conditions can be overexposed and washed out, so under-exposure might be needed. It might be worthwhile to visit Boxley Valley and photograph cow elk to get a feel for this often challenging subject.

Second, it is time to think about poses. It is nice to get your first picture of a big bull, but it is much better to get one posed in an interesting way. You can practice this away from the camera through visualization. I like to visualize poses, and the movements that lead to them in my easy chair. This is not only body position, it is about the direction of the light as well.

Third, think also about poses that others do not take. I have one bull picture that got the back cover of Arkansas Wildlife Magazine.  It is head down with light cutting across his body. My companion at the time did not take a single frame of this. He was not thinking of elk as an artistic subject, but only an animal. Step outside of convention by pre-visualization. If you have pre-visualized a shot or pose, you will anticipate it and recognize it when it occurs.

Third, look at the work of other wildlife photographers and attempt to understand what they were doing. This is closely related to the second point. See how they stretch, consider how you might do the same. Those who imagine artists are not deliberate in straining against their limits don't understand the creative process.

Photographers need to practice basic skills and pre-visualization much as athletes do practice drills. Practice conditions your instincts and ability to react to an opportunity when it arises. As someone once said, "chance favors a prepared mind". Do your homework and you will achieve results at a new level.

2010 Arkansas Elk Show Continues, Eagles Arriving Soon

I spend a lot of time in Boxley Valley, the unrivaled hot spot for elk viewing and photography in Arkansas. It ranks right up there in the US as an elk viewing destination because of its ideal habitat.  The geology of Boxley Valley pushes elk herds into the open, and close to roads for viewing and photography. Quite often when someone discovers Boxley Valley elk for the first time, they will mention to me that they had been going to Colorado to see elk, and likely would not do it again.

Whitetail Doe Crossing the Buffalo River

The reasons they cite for preferring Boxley Valley elk viewing are many. First, it is nearby and therefore very affordable. Second, few places in the US offer so many other free venues to explore and enjoy nature in the heart of the day when the elk are bedded down. Third, compared to more famous venues, visitors to this area do not fight crowds. Fourth, if they rent a room or cabin, it is very affordable. Fifth, the people they meet in Arkansas are welcoming and share old time values about civility and community. Visiting here is pleasant, and people will treat you right, mostly because they treat everyone right. It is a way of life.

But what to do now that the peak of the annual elk rut has passed? Well, actually elk viewing will be very good for months yet. Many of my very best elk photographs are from after the peak rut until the April 1 antler drop.  Generally I have the valley to myself during this period because everyone assumes that the best is over, there is no reason to visit. This is simply not true.

 Post-Rut Sparring Can Be a Good Show

Today was a pretty good example of post-peak rut photography. My shoot began with taking pictures of a very good sparring match between two medium sized bulls. They put on quite a show for about 10 minutes and provided some great action shots. After that I checked one of my favorite spots and caught the end of an elk crossing of the Buffalo River.  These late rutting animals are not as energetic as they seem during the peak rut, but any elk shot in the river will be pretty good. During that crossing, a whitetail doe decided to cross the river right in front of me, moving slowly across a reflecting pool illuminated by fall color along the river. When the crossing was over I had 400+ shots and was quite satified with the day. Driving out of Ponca I noticed two trumpeter swans on the Ponca Mill Pond and got some decent shots in filtered light.

Late Rut Still Provides Dramatic Photos

All the above happened in less than 2 hours. At the end of the day I had nearly 800 shots. Truly if I were not so busy now on other projects, I would have taken a couple of hundred more pictures before noon. There are too many good pictures to get right now. It is hard to make choices.

There is not a better time to be here. It is perfect hiking weather. Wildlife and elk viewing will be excellent for months. Later this month the bald eagles will arrive from the north to overwinter adding to the show. The river is quite low, but this means that it is easy to hike. Fall color shots in the reflecting pools of the Buffalo River are often quite dramatic. There is no shortage of choices for nature lovers.

18% of the population of the US live within two tanks of gas of this national treasure. The Buffalo National River was voted on the the top ten least known national parks that everyone should see. This is a great time to see it. There is literally plenty to see and do in every season. This time of year is prime time.

2010 Arkansas Elk Rut Update & Other Photo Opportunities

We are now entering the late middle period of the 2010 elk rut. Viewing is still very good and bugling, while less frequent, is still common. The pecking order of the bull elk is established, challenges are still possible as are bull fights, but the likelihood is slowly winding down.

After the early fights and the establishment of the pecking order, bull elk space out their herds. This is what we are seeing now. There are three major groupings of elk with herd bulls. The first is in the first Ponca field, kind of pinned there by cattle in the next few fields. This group could migrate to a couple of nearby fields including Steel Creek, but for now they have been pretty locked into this position. This herd could move to the Lost Valley fields, but that is always rare at best. It is such a good photo opportunity that it should always be checked in any visit.

Later Rut Herd Bull Keeping Watch

The second group is in the mid-valley area on back fields that are quite far from the road. This is where the Boxley Beast and his harem have moved. They have been here for over a week now so this is a pretty established position.

The third group is at and around the 43/21 intersection. This is two herds at least, with pretty complex mixing due to their proximity to one another. This are extends from behind the mill pond to the first field south of the 43/21 intersection. There are back fields in this south area that herds might go to now and seem to disappear for a day now and then. I believe the Boxley Stud and Bubba Stud bulls are both in this area.

I have also noticed the first formation of a bull herd in the south valley area. This would be around where the Buffalo River cuts across 21 south of the church. These are satellite bulls that are detached from herds and may or may not resume satellite status.

Your viewing results may vary, but these are pretty stable patterns. When I don't report on the movements of the elk herd, it is because there is nothing new to report.

What is next on the elk viewing calendar? Soon we will transition into the post-rut period. Like everything about the elk herd, this is not a bright line that is crossed, but a gradual blending from the rut pattern to the post rut pattern. While we have the first signs of the post-rut pattern now, the majority of elk activity is still full on elk rut. Slowly this mix shifts until most elk are post-rut, and there are stragglers still rutting.

Post Rut Herd Bulls in late December

How long does the rut continue?  Last year we saw herd bulls running cow elk in December. The determining factor are the estrous cycles of the cow elk. As long as there are cow elk returning to estrous, there will be bull elk to help them out. We have at least another month to go in the rut, and the stragglers rutting will extend into December.

What about great pictures of big bull elk?  Great photo opportunities for the big bulls will continue until around April 1 when the antlers drop. During the post rut period it is possible to get pictures of groups of huge bulls that return to male-only herds generally further divided by size. The photo on the left shows one of these herds. It was taken in late December in the south end of Boxley Valley. If you are an antler fan, this is the best bull elk shooting of the entire year.

Post-Peak Fall Color Reflection Picture

There is a lot of interesting activity at the Boxley Valley mill pond now as we are in the migration season. Any trip to see the elk should include a visit to the mill pond. Soon we will see the annual bald eagle migration and the mill pond is a favorite haunt for these majestic birds. There is an eagle pair hanging around in the valley now, but these are probably permanent residents of the valley. The normal migration period is considered to be Thanksgiving until Valentine's Day.

Fall color is past peak. More accurately, we have patchy color probably due to the droughts this fall. Rain has been scarce, so leaf-off has come early. There are still great opportunities for fall color photos. Pockets of color along the river offer unique color photo opportunties. Fewer leaves means more trunks in your compositions. Look at this pocketed color as a creative opportunity, not an off season. Some of these pictures are amazing.

2010 Elk Rut and Fall Color Update

The elk rut is now in the thick of prime time. Yesterday I visited the rut both morning and evening. It was active both times, but per normal the morning was more active, and I could see REAL bull elk fights from a distance. The elk bugling filled with aggression was more common. There was a lot of counter-bugling when the dominant herd bull would answer satellites, and in some cases true challenging herd bull sized animals. This always sets the table for fights, but bull fights may or may not occur depending on many circumstances.

Bull Mistaken for Tree in Ponca Field

Elk seem to be just about everywhere now. Bulls are still coming down to the valley from points unknown. With more cow elk entering estrous, the scent is on the wind. While nobody could know for certain, it feels like the hot spell we had stalled rutting behavior for a while, and our current return to cold weather has things back on track. For about a week we re-entered a summer weather pattern and it tamped things down a bit.

Yesterday, October 14th, there were 5 herd bull and cows herds in the Boxley Valley. I did hear about a 6th, but did not verify it personally. Going from north to south, the first herd is in the upper 3 Ponca fields. A second could be observed along the cane line in the mid-valley area, way back where most viewers would not notice them. A third has been hanging out behind the Mill Pond, I think this is Bubba Stud, but this is an educated guess based on watching movements. The fourth and fifth herds are concentrated in the 43/21 intersection fields.

The Bugling Boxley Beast and Harem

The Boxley Beast has been in the fields just south of the intersection with his harem. Yesterday he suffered repeated attacks from other herd bulls and last night he was showing the damage. He seemed to be limping a bit, it will be interesting to see how he fares going forward in the near term. I did see the Boxley Stud hanging around nearby, and it would not surprise me if he knocked the Boxley Beast off in a fight as things stand now. It would be a great fight in any case, but the Beast is tired and a little gimpy now, so the odds favor the Stud.

Contrary to what might be considered common sense, the dominant bull position in elk herds changes often during the rut. It is hard work for a herd bull to fend off the frequent challenges of candidate herd bulls and the frequent visits by satellite bulls. Often an attack by a herd bull is accompanied by incursions by satellite bulls. This was evident yesterday morning. In one case the dominant bull was under attack by a herd bull and 3 satellites. When he fought the challenging herd bull, the satellites took some of the cows. This happens fairly often. Researchers have determined that the satellite bulls actually breed more cows than the herd bulls. The herd bulls spend a lot of time protecting their harems and have less time for breeding.

Fall Color at the Ponca Access 10/14/10

Fall color is beginning to show much more now. I would put the peak next week. This will not be one of those spectacular years, but fall color is always good. It is very hard to make generalizations about good or bad with fall color because it varies so much from location to location. For a photographer, the great compositions are where you find them. Fall color opportunities come and go fast because they often center on just one tree. Light is everything in fall color photography. Last night I got a picture of the Buffalo River at the Ponca Access in late afternoon light that I like. The cutting light illuminated distant banks on the river and provided dramatic animation of the river level bluffs. This picture will probably be in my personal top 5 landscapes for the year. Like all this stuff, you can plan and prepare, but chance factors large in the best pictures.

Buffalo River, Bee Bluff East of Kyles

Color Fest is now just one week off on the 22nd and 23rd at the Ponca Elk Education Center. This annual art show is worth a visit. There will be artists selling nature works as well as art demonstrations.  I will be doing a free elk photography workshop at 2PM each day that should be of interest to wildlife watchers. I will review my personal "bucket list" of elk photos and discuss the context, the relevant elk life cycle, and the approach elk fans must take by the season to get these pictures. I will display my photos during the art show for sale too. Come by and visit.

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.

2010 Elk Rut in Full Gear -- Many New Bull Elk

Many more photographers are enjoying the elk rut this year. Without question Ponca is the elk viewing capital of the South. The Buffalo River in Boxley Valley has carved a relatively narrow canyon with fertile bottom lands where elk pool for the annual elk rut.

The Boxley Beast,  photographed from the road

On my website http://arkansaswildlifephotography.com I have posted hundreds of elk photos from the elk ruts. The 2010 galleries include brief narratives explaining the "back story" of each photo to help viewers better understand what happens during the rut.

With the large numbers of elk viewers, there are problems with crowd control. The most glaring issue remains trespassing on private land. It is a very bad idea to jump fences and enter posted land to get closer to the elk. Besides being the wrong thing to do, moving very close to the elk during the rut could trigger an attack from either a bull or cow elk resulting in serious injury.

The solution is to stay near the road. The movement of the elk herd will provide many great viewing and photo opportunities. Chasing after the elk chases them away, it is futile. Respect the privacy of the landowners in Boxley Valley. Don't block their driveways and farm gates.  Do not park in the road and create traffic hazards.

Be safe and be considerate. Quality elk viewing does not require trespassing. Safe elk viewing means staying behind the fences and off private land.

Big Bull Elk Have Arrived

Last night the Arkansas Wildlife cover star, the Boxley Stud, arrived and took most of Pretty Boy's herd. As I suspected, Pretty Boy is a year or two away from being big enough to compete with the biggest bulls. The Boxley Stud made quick work of Pretty Boy and mostly just bluffed him off. Many bull fights never happen because the small bull will not go into a one-sided fight. That was the case last night.

This drama took place at dusk in the first field south of the Observation Pullout.

Further south down the valley, just south of the Buffalo River, another big bull has been working a cow herd for over a week. Last night he brought the cows close to the road and we had an exceptional shoot. He provided photographers with many closeups, close enough so you could see the pores on his nose.

It is time to come, time to see the most virulent bull fights of the season if you are fortunate. The table is set for fighting and the bugling is getting more frequent by the day. Don't miss this once-a-year treat to see the spectacle of huge elk facing off for domination and breeding rights in Boxley Valley, the elk capital of the south.

The Early Rut has Started in Buffalo National River Country

The last few days have marked the beginning of the 2010 Arkanas Elk Rut. The annual spectacle of the Arkansas Elk Rut is beginning.

One large herd bull has taken possession of a herd of cows near the Ponca Access in the north end of Boxley Valley. While I have not heard any bugling personally, I have heard reliable reports that the first bugling has begun.

I have seen every other sign of the rut. Big bulls are now sniffing the air to locate estrous females. One bull at least has a herd, and I have observed him attempting to mate with a cow.

Many cow elk will start coming into estrous next week and this will pick up steadily for two weeks. This is absolutely the best time to see elk fights.

My basic advice remains the same. Get out early, survey the valley, at least from Ponca to the Boxley Church before making your decision as to where to see or photograph elk.  There will be many great choices, but there is usually a best choice. You won't see the best shows unless you check the whole valley.

Rainy, cool weather has extended viewing times. It is time to visit and see the best wildlife show in Arkanas, the annual Arkansas Elk Rut in the Buffalo National River's Boxley Valley.

Stars of the 2010 Elk Rut -- Freak Show the 8x7 Bull Elk

Freak Show, A Must-See 8x7 Bull Elk in the 2010 Elk Rut

This is a picture of Freak Show, one of the first arrivals to the 2010 rut. As we approach the rut, I want to introduce you to the 2010 herd bulls, the big bull elk that have a reasonable chance of breeding in the 2010 rut. I am choosing Freak Show as my first entry because of his totally wild rack. He is no doubt descended from the huge irregular bull that the AGFC has featured in so many different publications.

By my first count, Freak Show is an 8x7. Last year he was the first bull I observed rutting in Boxley Valley. This morning was the first time I have seen him this year. Like many of the other herd bulls, he is arriving after spending his time in more remote areas away from Boxley Valley.

If you look close at the picture of Freak Show, you will see he still has velvet drying on his antlers, so he has some more rubbing to do.

This morning the elk viewing and photography was quite good, but to have the best chances, one had to get to the Boxley Valley early. Freak Show only made a brief appearance and it was before 7 AM, then he disappeared into the woods. As his hormones rage he will be more concerned with the cow elk than fleeing from view. As we get closer to the rut, the viewing times will get progressively longer as well.

If you are a serious elk fan, Freak Show is one of the bulls to put on your must see (must photograph) list. This year he has joined the big league. He is a must-see bull elk for the 2010 season.

This morning I had Boxley Valley to myself. This always amazes me. I was not only able to photograph Freak  Show for the first time, I shot other bull elk grazing around a creek further south where the Buffalo is quite close to the road. I got so close to one of the big bulls I had to shoot him at 100 mm. Even though we are not now in the rut, there are excellent chances for elk watchers and viewers now if they get to Boxley Valley early. It is time to plan you annual visits.