Elk on the desert

jnyork · Post by **jnyork** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 12:27 pm

Wife and I took a day trip out into Wyoming's Red Desert country Saturday, came upon this bunch of elk. This is part of the country's only remaining herd of desert-dwelling elk, they were at one time found in almost all parts of the nation. I got a good count on these guys when they were all strung out coming up out of a wash, 60 head plus or minus 2 or 3, then as they bunched up and started running another 8 or 10 came out of another little wash and joined them. Call it 70 or so. These were dang near 1/2 mile away when I took this shot and some others, had my little Canon set on 60X.

jkbrea · Post by **jkbrea** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 12:59 pm

Awesome picture. Just hope wolves don't get down there soon or have they? I read years ago that the Red Desert was producing some really nice bulls and was a well kept secret. It's strange to think they were open plains animals at one time from coast to cost. Overhunting forced them to head for the hills.
I just want to know where they'll be come Sept 26th!

The rut is about to go full blast. Kind of looks like a larger herd bull on the right with all those cows and a handful of satellite bulls following.

jnyork · Post by **jnyork** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 1:04 pm

jkbrea wrote:Awesome picture. Just hope wolves don't get down there soon or have they? I read years ago that the Red Desert was producing some really nice bulls and was a well kept secret. It's strange to think they were open plains animals at one time from coast to cost. Overhunting forced them to head for the hills.
I just want to know where they'll be come Sept 26th!

The rut is about to go full blast. Kind of looks like a larger herd bull on the right with all those cows and a handful of satellite bulls following.

There were several very nice bulls in the group that don't show up in the pic, they are imbedded into the tightly packed group, they don't show up very well due the mirage and distance from the camera.

I can guarantee on Sept 26th they will be where you find them.

.45colt · Post by **.45colt** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 1:07 pm

That's really COOL. thanks for the picture.

Booger Bill · Post by **Booger Bill** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:56 pm

Great picture. What do they eat? I have a GREAT book, "Yellowstone Kelley". It`s the autobiography of Luther Kelley. He joined the Union Army right at the end of the civil war at I think, 14 or 15 years old. The army wouldn't discharge him and sent him to the western frontier, then Minnesota. When discharged he went farther west and wrote of all he saw. Lived quite a adventurous life. He said many times he would be in one spot and see Elk, Buffalo etc all at the same time. Clint Walker played him in the movie, "Yellowstone Kelley." They even looked much alike! I have met Clint. Get the book!

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 3:02 pm

I've driven thru the area many times....I love it there (and almost anyplace in WY)

plowboy 45 · Post by **plowboy 45** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 6:44 pm

Thats soom good photography

Leverluver · Post by **Leverluver** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 8:12 pm

That's a great picture. I've never seen that many in one bunch out there.

For good or for bad, the red desert elk are remnants of an experiment to reestablish the original migrations from the Winds, the Gros Ventre, and even some from the southern Yellowstone herd that mirated by way of the Hoback. Problem was that the elk used for the reintroduction had no living members of the herd (old lead cow) that had ever made the migration. Consequently, the elk never learned that they were supposed to migrate and therefore just stayed in the Red Desert. Some will go up into the Green, Ferris, or Crooks to get out of the heat in summer. Some will hang around the Jack Morrows even though they are not that high or that cool. I doubt if that would be considered a migration considering the "goal" of the experiment. Steamboat seems to be where most of the calving is happening as the road (dare I call it that, i.e. an ATV with tank treads might make it) from the north side is closed for that part of the year.

I can find no evidence in literature of the early explorers or mountain men or new scientific data that states there was ever a sizable herd of year round elk in the Red Desert but there is much early evidence of the vast majority being a migratory population.

Just went through some of it two weekends ago as a friend of mine (lives in Big Piney) and I have made it a mission to cover the Desert completely before we kick. Traveled hundreds of miles and clogged many air and fuel filters making the attempt but still have much to go. The peace and solitude has to be experienced to be believed.

Gaucho Gringo · Post by **Gaucho Gringo** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 8:42 pm

Don't even get me started on the subject of wolves. There is a very good reason they have been demonized throughout history dating back 15,000 years ago. Basically 2 apex predators slugging it out for dominance. We had the war won until people got soft, let the wolf huggers spend a few nights in the woods with a pack of hungry wolves and the survivors if any will be marching to the beat of a different drummer.

Paladin · Post by **Paladin** » Wed Sep 02, 2015 1:58 am

Gaucho Gringo wrote:Don't even get me started on the subject of wolves. There is a very good reason they have been demonized throughout history dating back 15,000 years ago. Basically 2 apex predators slugging it out for dominance. We had the war won until people got soft, let the wolf huggers spend a few nights in the woods with a pack of hungry wolves and the survivors if any will be marching to the beat of a different drummer.

+1

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Wed Sep 02, 2015 2:05 pm

That's a beautiful picture.

The WY red desert is on my list of must visit places.

Joe

J35 · Post by **J35** » Wed Sep 02, 2015 8:20 pm

That is a neat picture, if it were mine it would be framed and hanging on the wall.

A couple years after they ran the CAP canal to Tucson I was on the out skirts of Casa Grande on the E side of the valley and saw five Elk, I couldn't believe my eyes.

----J

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Wed Sep 02, 2015 10:00 pm

Gaucho Gringo · Post by **Gaucho Gringo** » Thu Sep 03, 2015 12:32 am

Sorry, I got so off on my personal opinion of wolves that I forgot the thread was about a picture of a magnificent herd of elk that are part of the country's only remaining herd of desert-dwelling elk. An awesome picture of a near endangered elk specie. In coastal Oregon I have seen elk herds(10-25) grazing on the front lawns of the homes of summer vacationers in December-early March time period. I have never been able to see them in their natural state like this picture. The ones I have seen take advantage of all the tasty lawns surrounding the houses that nobody uses for 6-7 months out of the year excepting an occasional weekend during that time.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Thu Sep 03, 2015 5:11 am

.45colt wrote:That's really COOL. thanks for the picture.

+ 1..

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