Camera Critters: Pennsylvania Elk In Winter

Here are more photographs from the trip to Pennsylvania's Northwoods earlier this week. For more photos from this trip, check the previous post.

While elk often feed in the meadows in early morning and late evening, they ordinarily spend the rest of the day in the woods.

Elk In Woodland

The animals spend most of the day resting, but periodically move about and feed. Sometimes they rub their antlers or other body parts against trees and saplings.

"Scratching The Itch"

While he sometimes made antler contact with the sapling this bull mostly rubbed his head and neck against it.

A Battered Warrior

This bull was quite the warrior in the rut last fall as two of the points on the right antler just above the head are broken.

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Pennsylvania Elk In Winter

Mid-Monday morning, February 23, found me traveling to Pennsylvania's North Woods to photograph and film the majestic Pennsylvania Elk. A few of the mature bulls have already shed their antlers and many more will do so in the next few weeks so this was likely my last chance of the winter, to record the animals while they still had antlers.

Most Mature Bulls Will Shed The Antlers Soon

It was bitter cold until Wednesday afternoon with deep snow remaining on the highest elevations, but the river bottoms and some of the meadows on the wind swept ridges had substantial areas of bare ground.

Bennett's Branch-Sinnemahoning Creek Near Hick's Run

Ronald "Buckwheat" Saffer met me on Tuesday afternoon and we spent portions of that day and the next photographing a bachelor group of bulls.

Buckwheat In Action In The North Woods
Canon XL-H1 Camcorder in foreground.

Mature Bull Resting At Sundown

Although we did not see a large number of bulls, the ones that we did encounter presented many excellent opportunities, which I hope to share with you in future posts.