Rut slowly heating up, more bull elk are arriving.

 Good elk viewing this morning. Multiple Bulls in the Smith Creek Field. 3 herds in the rut, see map. The Ponca Herd (Zone1) is the most reliable now across a number of days. The most bugling is at the south end in the Smith Creek Field. Bulls are showing up now and running all around as rut progresses. The best viewing is in the morning before 9 and in the evenings. Elk traffic hazard is greater now with bulls moving to the cow herds. Watch the roadsides. Don't forget the live chat at AWP if you want more details.

Bugling begins in Boxley Valley's 2014 elk rut

This morning the herd bull down by Smith Creek began bugling in response to a shag bull that was hanging around. I am sure this has been going on for a few days.  Boxley Valley had about 70 elk between 2 herds and a few stragglers. Be on the lookout for roadside animals in the south valley area.

September 2014 Elk Location Map

groups.  Viewing was good early, and later the herds bedded down in the fields in overcast, cool weather. The peak of the rut is ahead. Usually the biggest bulls arrive around October 1 as more cow elk go into heat.

Predicting Bull Elk Fights: Lesson #2 -- Location, Location, Location

Lesson #1 was about listening for sound clues about bull elk fights.  Lesson #2 is about using history as a guide to where fights occur in Boxley Valley.

I have been chasing elk and bull fights since late 2006, but really hit the ground in 2007.  Over the years my obsession with elk photography has led me to focus on bull elk fights, and elk crossing the Buffalo National River as subjects.

The map below shows the 3 main places I have observed bull fights over 5 years.  Fights do occur in other places, but these are the 3 top fields.  I am certain that habitat is the determining factor that has moved them to the top of the rankings.  Here are the factors:

1. Field Size   Each of these fields is very large.  Large fields setup the conditions where 2 separate herds 2 bulls might graze near one another.  This proximity sets the table for a battle to unite the herds.

2. Attack Points  These big fields offer many attack points for maverick bulls. Behind and around them are major elk trail complexes exploited by bull elk to mount their challenges.

3. Food & Water  Each of these fields has water in the fields as well as the river behind them.  They also offer exceptional grazing with less (or no) competition from cattle.  Cattle and elk don't mix.

4. Large Bedding Areas   Each of these fields has large bedding areas right behind them, including areas across the river.  These are attractive to herds, and to their bulls.

What all this means is that bull fights during the rut are about habitat territoriality as well as the battle for breeding rights. These 3 fields are ideal locations for the rut offering plenty of food, water and bedding areas while the work of the rut is being done.  Pay particular attention to these zones in Boxley Valley and your chances of seeing a bull elk fight improve dramatically.

Updated Boxley Valley Map Showing Best Bull Fight Fields

Picture of the Day

I got my first elk crossing the river in the fall season today.  He was surprised to see me, but gave me some great poses. This is one.  I got so close to him I had to dial back with my 100-400 zoom, my "go to" lens.

Shag Bull Crossing the Hailstone

I shot this in RAW and overexposed slightly.  I like mixed light and I seek it. Light was crossing from my right.

Rut Coverage Plans -- Current Viewing Conditions

I will take a little different approach on covering on this year's rut. It will include maps and herd locations as before, but it will also include periodic essays and tutorials on photography.  I am working on my first book on photography so there will be some spillover.

For me there is nothing that ignites my passion for photography like the elk rut. Sure, I love wildflowers and landscapes, river shots, otter, mink, and butterflies, etc. But nothing is the equal photographing the elk rut. For these next 3 months elk are my focus.

I am certain your mental approach is the primary key to your success as a photographer and sets the stage for your continual improvement. Fundamental to this success is getting clear on basic issues that go very far beyond f-stops, shutter speed and so on.

Bull Fight from 2012 -- Eye to Eye Near Ponca

Photography is about creative expression, not hardware. Creative expression is about being clear about what you are going for. I will have a lot to say about that. Time to start your "bucket list" and pre-visualize what elk shots you are going for.  If you are clear on what you seek, your chances of anticipating the opportunity and getting the photo improve a lot.

Current Conditions
Elk viewing is still in a summer pattern. Hot summer temperatures have shortened elk viewing. Elk head for cover now often by 8AM and come out fairly late to avoid the heat. The good news is that today temperatures are backing off some.

This last 2 weeks a lot of Boxley Valley has been hayed. The timing of this is just about perfect for the rut -- leading it out by about 2 weeks. For now elk are pushed back a bit, but I expect that to change as things return to normal.

Listen to Locate Bull Elk Fights

It is now prime time for bull elk fights in the buffalo national river region. One of the very best ways to locate a bull elk fight is to listen for them.

There are two ways to listen for a fight. The first one is pretty obvious -- listen for the loud clatter of the antlers. A real bull fight can be heard a half mile away in Boxley Valley. It is quite possible you will not be able to see a fight you can hear after you relocate, but remember that bulls often fight over a large area. Last year when the Boxley Beast fought Godzilla, it started in the river and they moved into view in a few minutes. The fight continued for 15 more minutes in plain view.

The second tip is about the bugling. You may never read this insider secret anywhere else online. When bull elk get ready to fight, they "counter-bugle", meaning they are calling back and forth to each other, and it is clear that they are getting agitated. I listen for two patterns. First, the bugles are back and forth and become more frequent. Second, as the bulls get angry, their bugles get "gravelly" and rough. These patterns set the stage for a challenge and a possible fight.

Most people don't pay attention to what is going on. The key lesson here is to always be alert and use your ears as well as you eyes. If you do, your chances of seeing bull fight go up a lot. Once you see a real bull fight you will never forget it.

October Elk Viewing -- The Peak

October marks a new phase in the elk rut. Early rutting herd bulls have now been replaced by the biggest bulls as leaders of the herds. The early bulls are now "satellite bulls", hanging around the edges of the herd for straggling cows.

In October the big bulls now fight to consolidate their small herds into larger ones. This period of consolidation will last a few weeks during which the very best bull fights of the year will occur. These are the fights between the huge bulls like last year's Boxley Beast vs. Godzilla (see the video).

Fights between big bull elk are one of nature's great spectacles.

Be sure to always pull off the road in Boxley Valley -- outside the white line. Do not stop in the lane to watch or take photos. Let common sense guide you, go slow and watch for pedestrians.

Satellite Bull 2012 Rut

Taken 9/11, this bull is ready now for the 2012 rut. At this time he is waiting to associate with a cow herd. While there are bull elk now rutting, there are very few cow elk in heat. As more become estrous, at some point a threshold is crossed, and all the bulls will join the rut. At this date, there are plenty like the bull below. This will all change in about 2 weeks or less. 

This bull is too small to be a herd bull. A few clues are his small antlers, and his body is slim, much like an adolescent human. The big bulls are impressively larger, and their antlers are larger and heavier. This young bull will be a "satellite bull", hanging around herd for opportunities, but not in a position to challenge for domination. 

RIP Old Buddy

The Boxley Beast in 2010

I am sad to report that the Boxley Beast was killed in this year's elk hunt. This big guy furnished me with hundreds of hours of enjoyment, as he did thousands of visitors from many states. I photographed him over 5 years and have thousands of images of him. He is on my business card.

Killing him offered a fraction of a second's satisfaction to the hunter -- about the same time taken by my camera's shutter. The distinction, of course, is that I experienced thousands of those fractions of seconds across many years, and so did many others, many from other states.

The Beast was perhaps the biggest bull elk ever in Arkansas. He lost an eye guard in his famous YouTube fight with Godzilla. If he had not, his rack would have been the largest on record I am told in Arkansas. He lost that eye guard fighting the bull that ended up on the cover of the special elk issue of Arkansas Wildlife Magazine -- Godzilla. In what was probably his last real bull fight, he kicked Godzilla's tail. We have it on video.

The saddest part of the elk hunt is that in an instant it destroys wildlife watching resources that create tourism and jobs in our region. This is the elk version of killing the golden goose in an instant, depriving visitors from many states of outstanding wildlife watching for years.  It is plain wrong, poor policy, and not real hunting of wild animals.

11/17/11 Cold Weather = Great Elk Viewing

Lost Valley Bull Elk and Harem
in front of Clark Homestead 2009

This morning there were 4 herds in Boxley Valley. All the herds were located between the entrance to Lost Valley and the intersection of highways 43 & 21.

In the field about a half mile south of the Lost Valley entrance there were two herds with rutting bulls. In spite of the cold, viewing was over shortly after the sun hit the fields. There was fairly frequent bugling for a while when the herds moved to the bedding areas.

Down by the 43/21 intersection there was a fairly large herd of elk, as well as the all bull herd that has been frequenting the area now for over a week.

If you get to these areas at daybreak, the elk are often pretty close to the fences bordering Highway 43, often with animals between the fence and the road.

The weekend weather forecast calls for rainyish weather. That means cloud cover, a bit of rain, and probably extended elk viewing, especially for Sunday. I will be updating this blog tomorrow, perhaps with more insight about the weekend.

Important Note:  The middle valley herd location are now ideal for a herd to show up in Lost Valley. One herd is not a half mile from Lost Valley on the same side of 43. Be sure to check Lost Valley when you visit -- elk photo shoots in Lost Valley are memorable and a bit rare.

11/13/11 Elk Herd Location Report

This morning was quite different than yesterday. If I had to guess the difference was about pressure from deer hunters and the transition from cloudy day to a sunny warm day today.

We have had pretty high winds now for a couple of days and that translates to dynamic weather. One of the attractions of nature is that it is more a verb and not a noun. Our language would have us freeze the world in tidy categories when little is tidy. Reality is "wiggly" and not so predictable as we might prefer. So it is with elk movements, much as I understand them, there is much that remains unpredictable.

The bull herd down by the intersection of 43 and 21 has split into two groups, one further north around the edge of the mill pond, and a second group south of Moore Creek. These are still the "early all-bull herd", the later all-bull herd will contain the biggest bulls who are still involved in the late rut. Today, these were the only elk to see in the valley. Expect the really big bulls to join them rut slowly ends over the next month.

There are still at least 4 herds in late rut that will appear on and off. These range from the Ponca fields all the way to the south trail head and could appear any time. Yesterday there were 3, today none, this evening could be 2 or 3. Hunting pressure today is evident, and it drives much of the movement.

Today's map:

11/3/11 A Day Off

Strong winds and rain this morning made today a perfect day off from the map and blog. This is classic November weather -- time to hole up.

I am certain that the elk love this weather. Years of watching them have proven to me that elk consider this weather just about the best of any weather. They love cold, rainy weather.

Friday is predicted to be clear weather, followed by partly cloudy on Saturday. Sunday has a 30% chance of rain. The highs each day are 58, 63 and 67 through Sunday. This will be ideal viewing and photography weather.

If you are coming up tonight, I would be sure to check out the fields around Smith Creek in the south end of Boxley Valley. That herd is ranging around, but it does pop up for easy viewing most days. It should be rotating into the field just north of Smith Creek any time now.

Look for an updated map tomorrow. There is a very long way to go in this prime elk viewing season, I will be back on top of it tomorrow.  But today, I am kicking back a bit.

10/31/11 Map -- First Ponca Field is Good Now

We close out the October map today.

There is one elk herd at the north end of the valley in the very first field south of the Ponca access.  I believe checking the south end field near Smith Creek is a good bet any day. Remember we are entering the period when traditionally the fields along the entrance road to Lost Valley could hold elk. They are worth checking because if they are there, the viewing and photography are outstanding.

New Elk Video Posted on Bull Fights vs. Sparring

I thought it would be useful to put together a slide show to show the difference between bull elk fighting and bull elk sparring. I get asked this question all the time.

Very few people get the chance to see a real bull elk fight even though they happen often early in the rut. When people tell me that they have seen a fight I assume it is sparring. Sparring is fun to watch, but nothing is on the line with sparring bulls, it is almost something they do to combat boredom.

Here is the video. I realize the sound could be better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExKzToANycE

If somehow you missed it, the following is a video of a true bull fight in Boxley Valley:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4Pb_s1SG1o

10/24/11 Elk Herd Report & Map

Heavy fog again this morning, but one herd did show up in the Ponca fields. This looked to me like two herds had merged and a newly-deposed herd bull was looking on as his herd left the field. With the fog it was hard to make sense of the specific bulls and dynamics.

Viewing was done at 8AM. There was a fair amount of bugling. Persons arriving at 8:30AM might have heard some bugling, but the elk were largely gone.

The October 24 herd map is below.

10/23/11 Morning Fog, Ugh

This morning Boxley Valley was socked in with fog, presumably from a short rain this morning. I did not see a herd of elk this morning in the valley anywhere. I did see a lot of stragglers, enough to satisfy those who were visiting. If I had to guess the herd that has been in the Ponca fields was behind the fence line between the fence and the river. On the other end of the valley in the south field near Smith Creek, elk were also moving along the river and they seemed to be there. Neither situation did elk watchers much good. These days happen. The fog made it worse.

Fall color is very good now and still heading toward peak. There are still plenty of green trees.

This evening could be good. It is anyone's guess. This morning's viewing does not offer much of an idea about what tonight's viewing might be.

10/22/11 Elk Herd Positions -- Death on 43

Sadly, this morning a calf elk was killed by a motorist. Speed kills. My guess is that it was not a tourist, but rather someone in a hurry to get somewhere. During the elk rut, any speed over 45MPH is madness. When elk are visible along the road, 20MPH is more like it. That's two elk this year, and two that could have probably been avoided with a little restraint.

This morning, as predicted, there were more herds evident with the opening of muzzle loader season. The 3 elk herds were located in the Ponca fields (scene of the traffic death), in the middle valley field, and another in the north corner of the field north of Smith Creek in the south end.

Lots of people out viewing and enjoying the show. Middle valley viewers were cautioned by police to be more careful. That is a dangerous viewing area with blind curves and dips in the road.

The major viewing was over by 8:30AM, although stragglers remained much later. The hunting pressure for whitetails clearly moved more of the elk herd into the valley.

Remember to drive carefully. If you see elk on the side of the road they may bolt in front of you. Go very slowly if they are on the roadsides.

10/21/11 Elk Herd Report -- Weekend Outlook & More

This morning was a bit frustrating because only one elk herd showed up, the one in the mid valley area. The bull running that herd is Hacksaw, the same bull I photographed crossing the Buffalo the first week in September. He was the first bull I saw start the 2011 Arkansas elk rut.  I heard him fight about a minute this morning behind the cane line. The unmistakable clatter of bull crashing antlers cannot be faked.

This morning the herd run by Pretty Boy was not in the Ponca fields (like yesterday), and Hercules was not in the field north of Smith Creek. In both these cases, we the herds are moving around a lot in a complex of fields.

Lost Valley Bull in front of Clark Homestead

Here is how you should interpret the map below. Looking at the date patterns, you can see where the elk frequent. Currently, in the case of the herds at the opposite ends of the valley, there are "complexes" of fields around the "viewing fields" that the elk move in and out of depending on the day. So, if you see a bunch of dates that are not consecutive, but are close to one another, you know that a herd is working the complex in question. Currently there are two herds showing this behavior, one in a north complex, the one I call the Ponca fields, and a second, working a south complex, the one I call the Smith Creek fields.

The middle valley herd has been in the same field now for 4 days. There is a similar field complex there, but they seem content to graze in the same viewing field for now.

A Look Ahead
Today begins muzzle loader season. The significance of this is that the hunters will reduce the desirability of many fields due to hunting pressure. This means that the 3 field complexes currently in use will have fewer fields in each complex because the elk avoid the hunters. To get to the bottom line, expect the elk to move into the "viewing fields" more often because there is no hunting pressure in Boxley Valley.

This could also cause a shift of the areas currently in use by the elk. It is quite possible for example that the herd(s) that have been using the south end fields will move to the fields near the intersection of highways 43 and 21.

Elk Herd Crossing Lost Valley Entrance Road in 2009

Each year about this time, the fields along the entrance road to Lost Valley and in Steel Creek (to a much lesser extent) come into play. From now on, it would be my recommendation for all elk watchers and photographers to check the Lost Valley fields as well as the entire valley end to end with each visit. Elk viewing in both these places is exceptional when it happens. Lost Valley is a great place to get elk pictures. It is compact and the old Clark homestead is a great backdrop.

This weekend should be great. We are near peak fall color and the elk are still in rut. We are perhaps now in the last third of the peak period, but elk viewing and photography will be good for at least another month.

10/20/11 Video of the Beast and Hercules in October Frost

I mentioned in my previous post that the Boxley Beast had been deposed by Hercules in a fight sometime yesterday or very early today. Dominance and succession gets complex as we move later into the season. 

What happens is that long term herd bulls get tired out from weeks of patrolling the herd boundaries, fighting off the competition and breeding. The Beast has had a 7 week run and now has lost his standing as herd bull. I believe this will be temporary, but it is hard to say. I have seen big bulls simply walk away from their herds late in the rut, presumably from exhaustion. 

Note the great morning frost we are now having. The tall grass in the south field near Smith Creek looks like clouds of snow in heavy frost. It is beautiful now and we have fall color coming on as a nice kicker. 

11/16/11 Pattern Shift -- Elk Herd Locations

As I predicted, a herd did show up in the Ponca fields this AM. Pretty Boy and his harem returned after a brief stay up the bluff to the west. This morning they put on a nice show. There were also 5 satellite bulls hanging around the edges hoping for a wayward cow to join them.

The herd behind the mill pond continues to be very reliable -- easily the most reliable herd over the last week or so. I do expect them to move into the field adjacent to the south. When they do, there will be much better viewing for this particular herd.

On the south end, the Beast and his harem were out early AM, but gone quite early too, just after 7AM. No doubt we have a nocturnal grazing pattern with this herd. This weeks much cooler weather, beginning Monday night, should make a big difference in the quality of elk viewing there as the week goes on.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I saw a bald eagle flying over the field at the south end. The unmistakable brilliant white head and tail was a treat. It is early for the annual migration, but we do have some eagles that live here all year.

Fall color continues to advance. It is great to have some color show up in elk photos. This is clearly not peak color, but it is the color I prefer. To me fall color is like makeup, it should add dimensionality to a photo but in my compositions it is not really the point of the photo. The point is always the power of the composition and color is only one part of that. The photo is the whole package.