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Herds of Elk, Moffat County, Colorado
By PK | January 31, 2009
Craig, Colorado and surrounding Moffat County is winter range for the herds of elk that summer on the Flat Top Wilderness. I’ve waited a long time since moving to Colorado to see the large herds of elk that hiberate on the local ranches south of Craig.
It was early December when Dalton and I began seeing an occasional elk, and by early January the herds were visible from county roads near Hwy 13, south of Craig.
There wasn’t any way I could have photographed the whole herd spread out over 10 acres or more without using my zoom. They were too far away from the road’s edge and would have appeared as black dots on the snow covered fields. There are two nice bulls in this picture. Can you see them?
We rode down several county roads cleared enough for travel in hopes of getting closer for a better look. Getting lucky, we seen a bull, a cow and a calf who wandered from the rest of the herd preparing to cross the road in front of us to rejoin the other elks.
The bull is young, his rack of antlers small compared to the monster bulls at the Rocky Mountain National Park I’d seen, and smaller than the cow elk that is leading them.
On our drive we also seen a lot of mule deer, which are very prominent in this part of Colorado.
Exploring further we came across a huge mule deer buck. I couldn’t help but say ohhhh….several times when I spied him.
Check out all the tracks in the snow. Not only mule deer were here, but elk as well a little further up the side of the hill.
Photographing wildlife has become a passion of mine. I love it when I can get a close-up shot.
And among the many photos of wildlife I’ve taken, there are just as many of the beautiful scenery Colorado has to offer.
Who would think that pink, blue, gray and white could be so beautiful? But add God’s hand and it makes it complete.
These pictures were taken in Moffat County south of Craig, looking north. Can you see the elk in this photograph?
Snow-covered roads, clouds that are threatening more snow, and a vista that just doesn’t end. This is Colorado country.
Looking west as the sun sets over the hills of Moffat County in the northwestern corner of Colorado.
The land now cold and barren while the skies set you afire. Craig….the locals will tell you is the best kept secret in Colorado.
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3 Responses to “Herds of Elk, Moffat County, Colorado”
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February 1st, 2009 at 9:47 am
It’s ok to have a comment.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:09 am
Hi PK,
Another great chapter in the winter wonderland of Colorado. One hell of a country! You’d never think that so much wildlife could survive in such harsh conditions.
February 11th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Merci beaucoup!