Wild Memories Photography Tours

I think of Fall as the season of the ungulates (two-toed mammals) because that is when chaos erupts and the guys begin chasing the ladies.

The bison rut is in August and should be done by now but the cow’s cycles seem to be messed up and so the snorting and the roaring is still going on.  And, the bulls are still fighting and killing one another.

The bull above has retired to the peaceful calm of Swan Lake Flats where he might spend most of his winter in quiet solitude.  I rarely go up on Swan Lake Flats because of the road construction but found it fairly devoid of wildlife activity a couple of days ago.  But, this big guy in the early morning sun and some fall colors and Electric Peak behind him was a gorgeous scene.

But, the elk rut is in full swing and has definitely picked up steam during the past few days with a lot of bulls stealing cows from other bulls.  This guy had done just that last night, right before I arrived.  Despite his windfall he was still feeling a little frustrated and thought that the tree looked pretty good.

And the pronghorn are all stirred up too.  The rut causes chaos because the guys are always chasing the girls around, trying to keep them close, and the kids are getting in the way.  Have got to say though that the guys seem to be pretty gentle with the youngsters and don’t bother them any more than necessary.

And then there is the moose.  Their rut is just getting going and some of the bulls have had some remnants of velvet on their racks.

Fall is a special time in Yellowstone – the rut against the backdrop of the colors of Autumn.

I was told that there is a bison carcass up high near Mammoth and another one in Elk Meadow that had a sow and cubs feeding on its remains.  The Junction Buttes are still being seen from Slough Creek and the bison carcasses in Lamar are still getting some faraway action.  The Lamar Canyons are still gone, off on another adventure to find food.  Feeding six pups I would imagine that those parents never have much down time.