Elk bugling

[puglogic]

In September and October, our neighborhood is Elk Central. These big guys cruise through several times a day with their respective harems of cows and calves (devastating any ornamental plants, btw) and for several weeks bugle day and night. It's a beautiful, eerie sound, especially in the dead of night coming from your tomato patch.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phib36cTLiI

[thinkgreen]

I loved that! It reminds me of past trips to the Rockies in the autumn. As you say, hearing that eerie sound as you lie in bed has a magical feeling. Sorry about your plants though...

[Mrs-M]

I've joined DH on a few early morning hunts, where at daybreak, DH bugles, then a few minutes later a bull returns a bugle, then closes in on us.

Sometimes we'd catch a glimpse of the bull, while other times the bull remained elusive.

[Gregg]

Our previous house was in the mountains in CO. Elk and mule deer were constant yard guests. I always loved the bugling on cold, clear nights when the sound would echo through a canyon up behind the house. It was a pain having them all around if we ever decided to plant anything, but they were fun to watch.

[RosieTR]

Yes, it's that season again! The most intense I've ever experienced was in Yellowstone in early Sept. The most interesting elk sighting I ever had was camping in southern Wyo and watching a group of adolescent elk play around on a snowfield in midsummer. Maybe because I don't live out in the wild, but I hadn't really seen wild animals play like that, except *maybe* squirrels (though playing or mating or fighting is always difficult to tell). It was cool that we really could tell the elk were playing, like a group of 13 yo boys: faux wrestling, running up and sliding on purpose down the snowfield repeatedly, and just generally messing around for fun.

[puglogic]

I hope it settles down soon, because we've actually been having some elk-human conflict in our neighborhood. A giant bull charged a Honda Civic that slowed down to take a picture of him (damned paparazzi! :) ) and people have reported being threatened when they're just walking their dogs on a street where the elk are hanging out. I've had to turn back on our walks more than once when a neighbor calls out "I wouldn't go that way! So-and-so just came running back!" They're pretty touchy right now.