Tag Archives: Cow elk

Equipment Failure

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Yellowstone National Park Sept 2005

In any sport one has to have the right equipment and keep that equipment in tip top shape. If you’re a pole vaulter and you use a flimsy made in a third world country pole, and it snaps when you’re making your best run at the Tokyo Olympics you’re not going to get a medal. If you’re a shot putter and your shot is made of Unliftanium from one of the Baltic countries and you can’t even lift if off the ground let alone heave it anywhere, you’re going to look dumb and be laughed at by those with better equipment. This is important in the game of life.

What you see above is a contestant in the annual “Rut” or how you get babes in the Elk world, held every year to decide the mating rights among these large and very belligerent ungulates. As you have no doubt seen on any of the nature shows these male Elk fight with each other to claim and acquire the most cow elk in their harems. Because they’re big and strong and have large, but huge antlers, the cow elk desire to be obtained by the largest and strongest bull. Thus making him the winner. However many battles need to be fought and the tides of victory and cow elk accumulation ebb and flow throughout the season.

One thing remains constant however and that is they must maintain their equipment in perfect order. In this case this poor fellow had a disastrous mishap that cost him his left antler. He went in to a contest with another bull who snapped it right off during the attack, thus ending the battle, his opponents ability to proceed in the contest, and his chances of getting lucky in the mating game. It is unknown if the substandard equipment was a poor choice by the contestant, a genetic failure, or why the antler failed. Maybe it was just nature’s way of saying “Nope, you’re done. No cows for you.” In any case no other bull would fight with him. It was the Bull Code where the bulls would only fight another bull that was as big and strong enough as they were so that a win would impress the cows.

The moral of this story is if you want to win keep your antlers in good shape. Don’t be losing one or it’s game over. Maybe next year will be better for this guy.

September Along the Madison

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Sunlit Grass – Cow Elk – Along the Madison River – Yellowstone

September in Yellowstone Park is a special time of the year, especially early September. The Rut is still some weeks away yet, the calves are big enough that they’re basically taking care of themselves, and during the hot afternoons the wolves are usually sleeping back at their dens waiting for the cool of the evening before setting out to see what bounty is available. It’s a rare moment for the cows to take a little time for themselves.

This particular cow had found a spot on a small island in the middle of the Madison river and taking advantage of the tall, golden grass covering it, has settled down for some time in the sun. A haven of relative safety she can let her guard down slightly in a rare moment of solitude. The heat of the afternoon, the absence of any breeze, the buzz of the occasional insect, plus the quiet murmuring of the river as it slowly made its way downstream was enough to allow her to recharge and get set for whatever Nature has in store for her. It’s September along the Madison.

It’s A New Day

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Around about the first Week in June the cow elk head up into the high brush to drop their calves. They leave the protection of the herd to individually find that spot they picked out for this years birthing. Many births results in twins and the cow stays up in her protected place until the calves are big enough and are ready to head down and rejoin the herd.

As this is a favorite time for the grizzlies and wolves to seek out the newborn calves, hiding means saving many of the calves from becoming dinner for the hungry predators. Nature in its own inscrutable way provides many checks and balances. Replenishing the herds on one hand and on the other side providing sustenance for the predators. All designed to keep things on an even keel.

Today however, it’s a new day and the family heads on down into the valley and meadows to join the other new additions to seek safety in the herd by adding to its numbers, thereby raising the odds of keeping the newborns safe. Her strategy worked this time by keeping her calves well hidden from danger and now it’s up to luck and the caprice of nature as to what happens next.

Pancho And Lefty – Standoff At Cascade Creek

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As the tale goes the Cascade Creek pack had killed a cow elk a couple of days ago. The carcass lay upon a gentle rise out in the meadow about 150 yards away from the highway. It had been worked over pretty good by the pack, plus a grizzly that came in and stripped a lot of the big bones that were still heavy with meat during the night. A four hundred pound elk doesn’t go very far when the big boys start feeding.

Soon the carcass had flattened out so that it was barely visible above the snow it lay upon. It looked as If there wouldn’t’ be anything left for the pack when they came back to feed later in the day. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t still sustenance to be had. There was marrow in the smaller bones that hadn’t been carried off yet. The hide could be licked and chewed on for the blood. There were still parts left to eat.

Pancho and Lefty were the first to arrive. As young bucks in the pack they were always hungry and wanted to get in there and get what they could before the Alpha and his mate showed up. There wouldn’t be much chance to eat once he arrived, he’d decide who ate and when, or even if, and his mate wasn’t any easier to get along with.

As luck would have it the Raven Clan had moved in and assumed control of the kill. They were pretty amped up as they had just driven a Golden Eagle off the carcass and they weren’t about to give up their prize without a battle.

However, impotence cures in such a situation can be administered to determine if the man has decreased DHEA levels. free samples of cialis Also known as wolfberry, goji berries tend to be reddish in color and are viagra buy no prescription respitecaresa.org a bit elongated. I do an extensive exam to determine the root of the amaranth and cheap viagra chafed it in a great and sanitary location. Male redundant prepuce is too long or tight underwear excessively stimulate the side effects of viagra glans penis can cause the premature ejaculation. At first glance you would believe that it would be a pretty unequal fight, what with the wolves being 100 lbs plus and the ravens weighing about three, three and a half tops, but size can fool you. Sure the wolves had pulled down a four hundred pound cow with very little trouble and they could easily snap a raven in two with those powerful jaws, but first they had to catch them. And the ravens had one point in their favor. Wolves cannot fly.

The ravens also had those long pointed beaks. They could peck at a massive bone until they cracked it to get at the marrow inside. It would not be too troublesome to take out a wolf’s eye if it came to that. So there you have it. The wolves surveyed the situation deciding on how much energy they wanted to spend evicting the squatters and the ravens knew that if they were tenacious enough they could pester the wolves into leaving. It was the standoff at the Cascade Creek kill.

Finally the wolves decided that there was enough left on the carcass that it would be worth the battle. They charged into the flock repeatedly, the ravens would lift up just out of muzzle range and settle back just as quickly once the wolf went after another bird. It looked like they could do this all day, but the wolves being wolves were still hungry and they didn’t let up. Finally the Ravens called a truce and moved back out of lunging range, content with nipping in and stealing little morsels that were dropped by the wolves. The wolves tolerated this until the Raven would get too confidant, then they would make short lunges to run it off.

The one-sided battle went on for several hours until the wolves had eaten their fill and wandered off to find a resting place to settle in and sleep off their meal. The Ravens knowing this would happen moved back in on the carcass and went to work. This was just a battle, the war would go on for as long as there were wolves and ravens. Right now it was mostly a draw.

Pancho and Lefty were lucky. They had the kill to themselves for much longer than usual and they did not waste the opportunity. They ate as much and as quickly as they could. The Alpha and the rest of the pack had slept in and didn’t get there until much later in the day. By then most of the drama was over. The carcass was just about picked clean and it was another day in Yellowstone.

The Weather Cow

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20ChanceofSnow6686Cow Elk  Yellowstone                                                      click to enlarge

20% chance of weather. You hear it in every weather forecast. “Well, there’s a front moving down from the Canadian highlands bringing wind and a 20% chance of something”. Insert your own weather word here. Snow, ice, sunshine, brown m&m’s in the mix, giggles, bankruptcy, tornadoes, you name it. You can’t go wrong predicting 20% of something.

So how do you find out about upcoming weather while visiting Yellowstone? You watch the Weather Cow, that’s how. This is Lucretia, a 6-year-old cow elk with an uncanny ability to predict the weather. Once thought of as a freak and chased out of the herd, she is now sought after for her insights and amazing abilities to predict the weather for at least five days into the future.

We don’t know how she does it. At one point there was a movement to dissect her brain to figure it out but since there is only one of her, cooler heads prevailed and she was given the freedom to forecast the weather. If Lucretia says it’s going to rain you’re probably already wet. She is shown here gazing at the snowflakes she predicted yesterday. Because of her amazing talents there were some experiments undertaken to see if she could predict any other phenomenon, such as the stock market, chance of marriages surviving, Superbowl winners, but she didn’t do any better than any of the other elk asked the same questions. Obviously her talent is predicting the weather and she does that with startling accuracy.

Pennsylvania can have their Punxsutawney Phil, the ground-hog that can only answer one question and its usually wrong, we have Lucretia The Weather Cow and as far as predictions go she can run his chubby little backside right back into that hole in the ground.

Due to our connections to Yellowstone National park and the herd that Lucretia hangs out with, the Institute can offer another incredible service provided exclusively to our loyal but regular readers. We will provide either by postcard (postage extra) or electronic delivery predictions straight from the elk’s mouth as it were, addressed to you and only you for your weather forecasting needs. There will be a small monthly fee of $285.65 payable in advance with a 5 year contract. For that nominal fee you will get regular forecasts containing real weather words such as Snow, Wind, 20%, Sunny, Poganip, yes it’s a real word look it up, plus advisories like “OMG! Run for your lives it’s a class 5 twister, y’all”  “Don’t stick your tongue on that Flagpole” “Edna let go of that milk cow” and many other catchy phrases heard on National TV. Each prediction will also include a signed picture of Lucretia our Weather Cow, and a 900 number where you can get even more information on various other subjects. Sign up now and sign up often, tell your friends and neighbors about this incredible offer, and remember to set up that autopay system we offer so you don’t miss a single months prediction and we don’t have to take you to court for failure to pay, but above all, Hurry! Sign Up! after all, we can’t do this all day.

Breaking News!!! Just in from The Weather Cow. There’s a 20% chance of snow this month. Didn’t we tell you this was incredible?

Ladies, Please!

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LadiesPlease059click to enlarge

I often wonder why they’re called the gentler sex. I’ve noticed that after say 18 or 19 Mojitos the most innocent of comments will suddenly erupt into a rougher version of MMA sanctioned cage-fighting and there is no mercy shown until someone gets unconscious. As a gentleman and someone concerned with their own personal safety you should never get in the middle of a situation like this unless you want your antlers pulled off. I like my antlers and therefore I normally stand off to the side until the paramedics get there.

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I’m not sure what this fracas was about but moments ago they were grazing side by side peacefully enough. I guess one of them said something about the other’s fur coat, I think it was “That’s a nice fur coat, didn’t they have it in your size?” and then it was on.

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It gets ugly from this point on and I hesitate to show you more as this is a family oriented website, (what the hell am I talking about, this isn’t a family oriented website), but I don’t see the need to be deliberately rude. We’re all adults here, we’ve heard some of the things females say to each other in the heat of the moment, but this is a Monday and I suppose we all have enough on our plate that we don’t need to be exposed to more reality nature.

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Once the altercation gets going however it becomes a force of nature, so to speak, and it will run it course. There is not much that can stop this explosion of female aggression unless you happen to be in a place that has a couple of Sumo wrestlers on staff and then they need to have a death wish. Even mad ladies have a hard time getting through 800 lbs. of Japanese hugeness although they will give it their best shot.

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I put this lack of decorum completely on the doorstep of a permissive society where anyone can say anything without any thought of the consequences and the expected reaction is out-and-out violence even by the most cultured, well-bred, ladylike members of the fair sex. These are difficult times we live in and I for one miss the old days of kindness and civility. So what if her coat isn’t the right size that’s no reason to be petty. It seems that beauty is no indication of good breeding. So be kind out there. Let’s think before we speak and if a provocative remark does slip out let’s try to be understanding and allow for the other’s imperfection, and if that doesn’t work try and get the first hoof in.

No Cow Is An Island

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Elk by their nature are not solitary animals. Especially cow elk. Bulls on the other hand will be loners, certainly during the rut and often afterwards. Cows though need the herd. They need the companionship and support of the others to feel safe.

Often they will drift away from the herd for short times, lying alone in the tall grass soaking up the sun, or standing in the river enjoying the feel of the cool water gliding past them, but always in sight of the others. One of the exceptions to this rule will be during calving time when they go off into the forest to find a solitary and they hope secret place to have their calves. As soon as the calf is able to travel however they return to the herd and it’s welcoming acceptance.

This cow had been enjoying the warmth of the sun, lying in the tall grass dozing as the herd slowly moved downriver. She hadn’t noticed that she was being left alone and as the rest of the herd slowly went around the bend and out of sight she jumped up anxious and nearly frantic at being left behind.

As a photographer one of your jobs is to tell the story that you see through your lens. Its more than pretty colors and good light, it’s the intangible thing that you see in the image that makes you want to know more. Did she catch up to the herd? Was it the herd she was looking at or the wolf pack coming down the river bank hoping to find a lone cow in a vulnerable position. In this case all’s well that ends well, she did reunite with the herd and was secure for now. Nature tells us many stories and teaches us many lessons. This was one that had a happy ending.