Brief Estes Park trip pics

[mdtrot]

I recently was able to spend a couple days in Estes Park and RMNP. It began to snow just as we arrived on Oct. 7, and snowed lightly for the two days we were there. We were able to hike around Bear Lake and Sprague Lake. On the way back into town, we ran across a big elk bull guarding a harem of twenty or so cows. One bull was lounging in some rocks beside the highway, and one even showed up right behind the condo we rented. Although towards the end of the rut, we did get to see and hear quite a bit of bugling. It was so gray and drab outside that the occ pics were lifeless and required quite a bit of tweaking to be interesting at all, at least with my plebian camera.

DSC_0051 by MDTshots, on Flickr
DSC_0071 by MDTshots, on Flickr
DSC_0080 by MDTshots, on Flickr
DSC_0089 by MDTshots, on Flickr
DSC_0116 by MDTshots, on Flickr
DSC_0145 by MDTshots, on Flickr

[Max]

Really nice shot of the bull exhibiting the Flehmen Response (or perhaps bugling?). The precipitation adds some nice texture.

Max

[mdtrot]

Really nice shot of the bull exhibiting the Flehmen Response (or perhaps bugling?). The precipitation adds some nice texture.

Max

He was bugling. There was another bull about a half mile away that was also bugling.

[billandkaren]

Thanks for posting the pictures. We live about an hour away from Estes so we get a chance to visit the park quite often. The bull shot bugling is really cool.

Bill

[Winona]

Great shots of the bull elk. RMNP will be at the tail end of our trip this year. I’ve never been and can’t wait.