This magnificent fellow was probably the bull of the herd, and proud of it! He was surrounded by some of his lady friends.
A blog quickie…
Peggy gets excited when she sees elk. So it’s not surprising that she multiplied the number she saw by 10. I can also get quite excitable. Roosevelt Elk are the largest members of six subspecies of elk in North America. Bulls can weigh up to 1100 pounds! Once, they were close to extinct in California. Today, there are seven herds in and around the Redwoods. The largest herd numbers 250. Most are closer to the size we saw. It was conveniently located in someone’s yard. I drove in so Peggy could take photos.
There were probably 30 elk altogether.
Peggy was impressed by the antlers shown here…
So she took a close up. Given the season, I figured that Santa could turn to these fellows if his Reindeer refused to fly.
Red-nosed reindeer goes on strike. (card by Curt Mekemson.)
The real deal: Alaskan Caribou. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
If this guy were a black tail deer, we would call him Spike. I don’t think I would want him mad at me! The marks on his back suggest he has been nibbling at itches.
This cow elk was quite beautiful…
We will end this short post with a close-up of her. Lovely eyes!
NEXT BLOG: The Christmas lights of Shore Acres State Park
Wandering through Time and Place 
Oh they are so very beautiful!
Yes they are Sylvia, almost regal. –Curt
Indeed phenomenal! Have to be careful at night though when driving. They are huge!
You certainly don’t want to run into one! One jumped out on a freeway landed on top of a VW bug not far from where I live last year. Fortunately the guy walked away from it. The bug wasn’t so lucky. 🙂 –Curt
Yes indeed! that’s why driving at night we should be careful, or best avoided!
There are lots of deer in our area, Mel and Suan. Night time driving is always a hazard. It’s a rare evening that we don’t slow down or stop for deer on the highway. –Curt
The antlers! Wow, those were fun to see. Happy holidays to you!
These guys know how to grow them! And Happy Holidays to you and your family as well… –Curt
Wow, Curt, these are magnificent! Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful photographs. Also love the idea that you call this someone’s back yard – not like any yard in the UK! You might get the odd pigeon, cat and pot plant…
Laughing a little, Annika. I suspect pot plants in England are a bit different that pot plants (marijuana) in Oregon. Elk are indeed gorgeous animals. As of backyards, very different— out in the woods. (Mine backs up to a million acres of wilderness.) Yards in town are not so different. –Curt
That last one had bedroom eyes, eh? I can see why Peggy gets excited, these are grand animals!
🙂 I’d say so, G. They are indeed beautiful. –Curt
Nice eyes. Can one pat the elk? Elk, reindeer, deer, caribou. Are the differences easily recognized?
Caribou and reindeer are the same species, Gerard. Reindeer are the domesticated cousins. You don’t want to mess with elk. I’ve been charged by them a couple of times. Deer are the smaller members of the family. Deer, elk, caribou/reindeer, and moose are easy to tell apart. –Curt
What a collection! Rudolph and friends are likely envious. Happy holidays and looking forward to more of your adventures in 2017.
Thanks Sue. And back at you! 🙂 –Curt
What? Shore Acres state park? I had no idea I had real estate.
The elk are gorgeous. I just happened to find some elk being served up at the home of one of my new Kansas friends. You’ll get a kick out of this. And yes, Debra’s a hunter, but this probably came from a locker. She said it’s been a while since she bagged one. I forgot to ask her, but I suspect the elk hunting in Kansas is like alligator hunting in Louisiana; there not only are limits, there are limits on the number of tags issued. No open season on these beauties. Herd management is the point.
Merry Christmas again, to you and Peggy and all.
I immediately thought of you when Peggy and I visited the park, Linda. Our first visit was last year in the spring. Beautiful, like an English garden. Also has a picturesque coast.
Our neighbor in Oregon (before he moved) is an avid elk hunter. In fact I think he is an avid everything hunter. He hasn’t been lucky lately, however. We’ve received venison and buffalo meat from him, but no elk.
–Curt
Beautiful animals. Thanks.
Yes they are Peggy. –Curt
I remember bumping into these guys in Yellowstone Park – quite magnificent. I am guessing that they almost became extinct in California because we used to shoot them?
Good guess Andrew. Lots of them. They still hunt elk in a number of states, like Oregon, but in limited numbers. –Curt
Curt, a wonderful series. Great to see these magnificent animals.
Thanks, Allen. Not surprised you like the North Coast series. The elks are a plus. 🙂 –Curt
They are wonderful. We had lots of them at Sitka Center for Arts and Ecology near Lincoln City. As long as I stayed in the car I could get within a few feet of them.
Perfect place for them, Allen. Wildlife seems to accommodate cars better than people sometimes. I remember traveling through East Africa and driving up to lions and numerous other animals in a VW bug. I always felt like I was in a zoo and I was the one in the cage. –Curt
Very true.
Wow, will be sharing these shots with T when he gets in with Daddy. Beautiful, though I expect nothing less from you, Curt. Hope it’s a wonderful week.
Love,
D.
Thanks, D. They are gorgeous animals. And it has been a wonderful week. We are in North Carolina with our daughter, son-in-law and grandsons. Lots of fun. Before that we were in Boston for a few days and before that in Connecticut with our son and his family! 🙂 –Curt
Because Bert usually drives on our tours of anywhere, and I sit with the camera ready in the passenger seat, I can just see us know if we came upon caribou the likes of what you’re showing. Bert might wreck, and I might jump out of the car, leaving him to tend to things while I take pictures! These animals are fabulous!
Peggy got a little excitable, to say the least. 🙂 I could see poor Bert taking care of the fender bender while you snapped away at the wildlife. –Curt
But you wouldn’t want to hear what he would be saying!!
🙂