Viewing Elk: Wapiti

Reader Contribution by Bruce Mcelmurray
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Many of my topics are related to living in the mountains of S. Colorado where we have resided year around for the past 16 years. This article is about one of the added benefits that we enjoy here in the Sangre de Christo Mountains.

Our mountain range was named by Spanish explorers and Sangre de Cristo means the blood of Christ. Depending on the angle of the sun, the mountains take on different hues and colors at different times of the year. While it is true that we have several feet of snow each year coupled with long cold winters, that is incidental to the multitude of advantages of living here in our small cabin.

In addition to the intoxicating smell of fall in the air, it is also time for the rut with our elk population. Many visitors drive long distances to come to Rocky Mountain National Park or other areas of Colorado to view elk. We enjoy the elk all year except when the snow becomes too deep for them. Elk are also referred to as Wapiti which means white rump. The photo in this article was taken by a trail camera that we put out in our back yard and the photo demonstrates the rump of the elk. 

During this time of year we have to always do a visual survey of the back yard before letting our dogs out into the fenced in area. Not that elk are dangerous but we don’t like to disturb them any more than necessary. They feel safe here and we want to keep it that way and co-exist peacefully. Elk have a unique way of suddenly appearing when the area had just been empty moments before. For such big animals they seem to appear and disappear almost at will. We see elk throughout the spring and summer but mostly in the fall season when surrounding hunting pressure drives them into our area, which does not allow hunting It is unusual to go outside this time of year without hearing the elk bugle from different directions. It is much like hearing elk bugling in surround sound.

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