Bull Tule Elk, Point Reyes. Point Reyes National Seashore, California. May 30, 2011. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
A bull tule elk grazes among the grassy hills near Drakes Bay, Point Reyes National Seashore.
The group of bull tule elk that I encountered at Point Reyes National Seashore on Memorial Day was large and tended to stick together very closely. Most of the photographs that I shot include multiple animals. However, this fellow paused for a moment as the others moved to the right and I had a chance to make a few photographs containing only a single elk. He was even thoughtful enough to pose in front of the rolling green hills rising above Tomales Bay in the distance!
The elk were apparently native to Point Reyes – and much of the rest of California – but were decimated in the 1800s as a result of hunting and displacement by cattle. As I understand it, a small group was reintroduced to Point Reyes in the 1970s or thereabouts. Eventually they were so successful that the herd began to expand to other areas of the park, and the area has now reached it normal carrying capacity for these animals. This specimen and the group it was part of were along the top of the rolling hills above Drakes Bay.
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Thanks, Frank. I knew that there were tule elk in the park, but somehow I had gotten the idea that they were only found in an area far from where I saw this group. It was quite a surprise… we were driving up the road from Drakes Beach though this dairy farm area when I saw “something” poking up above a fence at the top of the hill. The “something” looked like antlers, but having no idea that there were such critters in this spot I didn’t trust my own eyes at first. It was only when we got closer that I realized what we were seeing.
Dan
Love this shot Dan. It was indeed considerate of this old bull to setup in front of such a nice back ground :-)
I did not realize elk inhabited this area.