Long hot hike for this bull elk photo

Got a late start into the high country so it was getting hot by the time I checked the first camera. When I reached the last camera I was out of water and still had to climb back out of this hell hole. Had several nice bull elk photos, so all wasn't lost, will leave them out for another week before pulling all the cameras in this area. The weather can change very fast and I just wanted some nice bull elk photos anyway.

Looks like some old scaring on the hind quarters from another elk, I've seen the same on horses where they grew back white hair on a bad injury that took a while to heal.

Tagged and collared cow elk

These photos were taken a month ago when I went into the high country for bull elk in velvet. With the help of a friend on a game forum I found out the cow in the closeup showing the ear tag number was one of 55 elk tagged in the Mt. Margaret Unit during February of this year. The second photo of a cow about a mile down hill from the first wasn't close enough to identify if it was the same elk or not.

Black bear vs Trail camera

This bear normally doesn't bother my cameras, so I set them close and low to the trails and often aimed at stumps where it digs for ants. But lately it has came right up to the camera and given me some nice photos of its snout and belly, almost like a pose. Had a few slobbers on the lens but no damage to either cameras.

Lowland bull elk

Finally got a photo of a loan bull elk in the brushy jack firs about 3 miles from the house. Had to fight the heat and mosquitoes, plus a long walk and that was the only pictures on several cameras so I pulled all of them and will move to a different location.

Animals had been scarce in this area for almost a month and I believed a cougar was hanging out there for a while. Talked with a property owner last week and was told a female cougar and 2 cubs had been seen close to where my cameras were set. I might move a few cameras back in a couple of months.