I'm fascinated by the herds of elk that were reintroduced in a number of eastern states in the early part of the 20th century. In several areas, such as central Pennsylvania where I captured this bull, sizable herds once again thrive. As you probably know, native elk once roamed many eastern states before they were wiped out through over hunting and habitat loss. I would love to see who else has photographed these magnificent animals, and to know where you found them.

This is lovely... the condensation emanating from the mouth tells a great story about the conditions.
Here's are a pair of elk landscapes. The first is from the Tetons taken in June 2020... pandemic travel to GTNP w/out tour busses emptying out throngs of people,... such a treat!
The second is from Point Reyes National Seashore (March 2021). The subspecies is the Tule Elk. There is a movement to extirpate the population of the PRNP... a real travesty and the opposite of what is happening in PA.

BLev65 said:

This is lovely... the condensation emanating from the mouth tells a great story about the conditions.
Here's are a pair of elk landscapes. The first is from the Tetons taken in June 2020... pandemic travel to GTNP w/out tour busses emptying out throngs of people,... such a treat!
The second is from Point Reyes National Seashore (March 2021). The subspecies is the Tule Elk. There is a movement to extirpate the population of the PRNP... a real travesty and the opposite of what is happening in PA.
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Love your images! Just beautiful. I visited Pt. Reyes many years ago, and it's on my list to go soon and spend some time exploring the park. I've read about the issues with local ranchers there, and the reduction in elk herds. Such a shame.

This is from Oconaluftee in GSMNP. The Elk were reintroduced to the area twenty years ago and are thriving. There are thought to be around 250 now in the park.

Gene_Hughes said:

This is from Oconaluftee in GSMNP. The Elk were reintroduced to the area twenty years ago and are thriving. There are thought to be around 250 now in the park.


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Very nice! Would love to visit in the fall sometime, and photograph this herd too!

Sorry, just re-read this thread. Supposed to be Eastern elk.... please forgive! Wyoming Elk. D850 500pf .

That's an awesome photo right there

There's an elk herd in Michigan's Pigeon River State Forest. Went there once and did actually find them but it was quite dark by that time. Haven't tried again yet.

It was in the late 1970s that I first began photographing elk in Pennsylvania. At that time there were around 70 elk in the state after they were reintroduced about 100 years ago -- a parasite of white-tailed deer (brainworm, which isn't fatal to deer) and farmers shooting them for crop damage almost eliminated elk from the state for a second time. Forest management and grasslands, both specificly aimed at bolstering the elk herd have brought the population to over 1000 animals. Here are some photographs of Pennsylvania elk all taken in Elk County, PA. The second photo is of a non-typical bull nicknamed "The Moose".

Woody Meristem said:

It was in the late 1970s that I first began photographing elk in Pennsylvania. At that time there were around 70 elk in the state after they were reintroduced about 100 years ago -- a parasite of white-tailed deer (brainworm, which isn't fatal to deer) and farmers shooting them for crop damage almost eliminated elk from the state for a second time. Forest management and grasslands, both specificly aimed at bolstering the elk herd have brought the population to over 1000 animals. Here are some photographs of Pennsylvania elk all taken in Elk County, PA. The second photo is of a non-typical bull nicknamed "The Moose".

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I love the first shot in the series... silhouette backed by sunset... marvelous!

Woody Meristem said:

It was in the late 1970s that I first began photographing elk in Pennsylvania. At that time there were around 70 elk in the state after they were reintroduced about 100 years ago -- a parasite of white-tailed deer (brainworm, which isn't fatal to deer) and farmers shooting them for crop damage almost eliminated elk from the state for a second time. Forest management and grasslands, both specificly aimed at bolstering the elk herd have brought the population to over 1000 animals. Here are some photographs of Pennsylvania elk all taken in Elk County, PA. The second photo is of a non-typical bull nicknamed "The Moose".

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Nice images! I go every fall to Elk County for the rut. It's a spectacle!

Here is one from Chattaloochee Valley (the North Carolina side) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, shot this past March. Wasn't sure how this would look because I did not want to hook up my storage drive so I copied this from a Facebook post, put in Photoshop and resized it, saved that copy and posted here. This herd is doing very well.

gaknott said:

Here is one from Chattaloochee Valley (the North Carolina side) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, shot this past March. Wasn't sure how this would look because I did not want to hook up my storage drive so I copied this from a Facebook post, put in Photoshop and resized it, saved that copy and posted here. This herd is doing very well.

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Nice capture!

Abinoone said:

Nice capture!

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Thanks, Abinoone!

I don't have eastern Elks so a Westerner will have to do - this is from the old days of slides and scanners... with some nice heat distortion in the back too.
The first generation Canon 100-400 L IS wasn't the sharpest lens but it did honorably here (the mk2 is a far superior lens).

Rocky Mountain NP in 2018.

jcgamble said:

Rocky Mountain NP in 2018.
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A small but fine harem!

Abinoone said:

A small but fine harem!

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You don't see the other 15 cows scattered out. That 7x7 was the dominate bull in the area.

jcgamble said:

You don't see the other 15 cows scattered out. That 7x7 was the dominate bull in the area.

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Love watching the shenanigans during the rutting season - bulls trying to steal one another's cows, and a few fickle females jumping ship for a bigger rack.