We snuck out near dusk, way past the Pumpkining Hour. On our way back we saw this guy:
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| I ripped this off, full of remorse, from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, where you should go to verify all "facts" presented here. |
We've seen elk before. Just never so up-close and personal where everyone was shocked. They are the size of horses. Not those prissy Arabians.† Percherons, maybe, or draft horses, but without the slippers. Yeah, that's it, like a Clydesdale. That's why they're called "draft" horses.
So, Ed McMahon rode off on one of these things, and his rack was half as long as his body. The elk was nice, too. It occurred to me these guys are hanging out around the Duck every night. Blowing foggy elk breath on our windows. Bugling unspeakable desires and drinking cheap beer from cans while we choose our evening tea indoors. Then Annie reminded me Ed is gone.
I still get tickled raw by cows in the woods.
She's just as fierce as an elk. Nice rack, too. Someone has judged her to be approximately (~) a cow, but I fear they underestimated her.
We experienced two glorious minutes of rain early this morning. Annie woke up to say Tut tut, smells like dirt, then rolled over.
†Horse people: this is for entertainment purposes only. If your horse is sensitive to specist jokes, please do not allow him to read this post. Practice stable parenting.
27 comments:
That's udderly ridiculous.
Nothing like waking up to an Elk bugle on a rainy summer morning. I think we need rain as much as you do. Montana is burning up this summer. Not sure how that is going to impact our Elk and Deer population or the cows for that matter.
Please share your elk with RVSue. She thinks they are mythical beasts.
Elk....Yummy!
Sandie, I don't worry about the cows, but the elk, yes. Tanks are dry or vanishing, and I'd love to have a rainy summer morning!
I think Sue jumped right over the serious elk territory, Page. We've seen them in herds, in singlets, and now a quartet, right here in the same little area. They are pretty majestic, I have to say.
LALALALA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU MARIA!
There used to be a big herd of elk that would winter right above my house in a big meadow. Until they subdivided it, that is, and named it Elk Run. The summsabiscuits.
There were a bunch of bulls with the herd, some with racks even bigger than that one. They must've been pretty old guys.
Forgot your camera??? Shame, shame on you.
Annie actually said "Tut, Tut" when she woke up? Must have been dreaming in Egyptian again. Don't be afraid of Elk, unless of course they won't tell you their local lodge number and address...which would mean they are probably rogue elk, and not to be trusted. Too bad you had to steal the elk photos, but did manage to get a great shot of the nice brown cow. She could whip you up a latte if you had the time, but you probably forgot your alarm clock, too.
Oh boy, Russ, the only thing you missed in that joke was the Jersey Bounce. Annie (not the cow) wakes up internationally, which is both cosmopolitan and exhausting.
Judy, I know. You would leave home without your shoes before you forgot your camera. I was remiss.
Oh, Chinle, the irony. Not a good trade-off. I read in that site I stole the photo from that elks lose their antlers every year! Is that possible? There would be racks on the ground like crazy. It says the antler breaks off and startles the elk. Well, I would think so!
We know you stole the elk photo because his rack isn't in velvet. And the old racks are everywhere. If you had a dog, he would find them for you. Hope the wasting disease doesn't get your elk. I got no new puns but this post was pretty punny in the coments.
By the time I read the blogs each day the comments have already been quacked... and all I can think is... "I wish I'd have said that... maybe next time I'll arrive at the Duck Pen a bit earlier". I will add that here old racks are quickly nibbled down by critters as they are a good source of calcium.
Sharon, I did not know that about recycled antlers. So, it might deprive another animal if I snagged a spare rack and didn't eat it.
How come elk can eat only vegetables and have enough calcium to grow, not just their bones, but awesome sex symbols? How come cows can eat enough plants to become beefy with protein? But, people worry about vegans who don't eat elks or their horns? I'll have to think more about the differences.
Mary, when do they shed the velvet?
@Maria. No Elk.
I think Elk would be too gamey.
But that cow looks mighty tasty!
That's a "yummy" fer sure!
(I can just hear the sizzle...mmmmmm)
They shed the velvet in the fall. They do a lot of tree rubbing. Goes with the rut. The velvet is the growing sheath - full of blood.
There is a lot of calcium in many plants. Ca is easy to get if you can digest it. Those vegetarian animals have multiple stomachs to get the nutrients out of the greens and they chew all day long. Eat, digest and chew, eat, digest and chew. Repeat until you fall asleep, then repeat again. It's a cow's life.
We only have one stomach and aren't supposed to chew our cuds - heartburn is not good for us. Compared to cows and other herbivores, our alimentary canals are tiny. Compared to carnivores like dogs and cats, our guts are long but are closer to a carnivore than to a herbivore.
It may well be that we evolved to omnivorousness by inventing cooking. Cooking releases a lot of nutrients that we don't have long enough guts or enuf stomachs to digest. Made us more versatile. Even a vegetarian primate like gorillas eat and chew a lot more than we do. Cooking still doesn't make grass edible for us. That takes lots of digesting and chewing.
And cellulases that we don't make.
Bob, watch out for that cowma!
Just run on by the National Elk Refuge right before you get to Grand Teton National Park and you will see more elk antlers than you could ever even imagine being shed. Jackson Hole, Wyoming uses them as entrance gates in their airport and their park in the center of town and all over the place. Yes they shed every year. Amazing isn't it??? Now get a Mooooove on over to Wyoming and cool off.
Sherry, they must have to put guards by the antler exhibits to keep people from chewing them.
We're pretty darn comfy here in the high country. So comfy we're afraid to go anywhere else, because it's all hot, on fire, or underwater.
There are Elk here too, but I've not seen any. Just deersey doe is all. And there's bear here too. Haven't seen them either. but I'm FINE WITH THAT!!! And big kitties...not the kind you put inside your homers.
Cyn, I think there are cats here, too, but I conveniently forget them every time I walk. Do you have any dosey doats?
learn something new everyday if we are lucky!...I sure didn't know that about the antlers...I asked my hubs how is that possible...he said takes lots of food and energy. you better stay put for about the next two months..no better place than Flagstaff this time of year.
Your quote:
"It occurred to me these guys are hanging out around the Duck every night. Blowing foggy elk breath on our windows. Bugling unspeakable desires and drinking cheap beer from cans while we choose our evening tea indoors."
I suggest you get off the "juice." Elk don't drink cheap beer from cans. They go around and steal milk from cows. Why else do you think cows are in the woods?
Seems like the only way that investment pays off is in reproductive opportunities, so it must work! Yeah, we're enjoying Flagstaff entirely, and aren't eager to leave just yet.
Oh Terry, it sounds like you've been chewing elk antlers. Wapiti are lactose-intolerant, and ... wait, maybe THAT'S the bugling.
Just gotta say thanks, I truly love your blog...your pics are always awesome. However; it has to be the humorous 'play on words' that truly makes my day... everyday. Thanks to you ALL.
p.s. Happy 4th, Happy Birthday AMERICA !!!
Man is enterprising: http://www.cdnantler.com/antlerchandeliers.htm?gclid=CMWumoGPgLECFWkCQAod1SvMEw
This post is delightful in itself, and then it just gets funnier as the repartee bounces through the thread. :)
Back in the day, when I was still prone to actually cook (and had a meat 'n potatoes eating hubby to feed), we lived where folks stocked their freezers with steaks, burgers, and roasts obtained in the woodland food mart. A friend gave said hubby a large cut of elk to roast...slow cooked in the oven in a broth concoction that included some darkly brewed coffee...it was falling apart delicious (not "gamey" at all, Bob). This, however was in another life... More and more, I am reconsidering my diet options.
When you do move on (weather and firestorms permitting), if you get to Yellowstone, be sure to drive thru Mammoth -- when we were there, the elk were wandering the streets like neighborhood hounds. :)
Hope you have enough energy left to enjoy today the 4th! Happy Birthday US Ducks!
Thanks, Contessa!
Karen, that sure is a use for antlers! Wow, look at those antler lights! Those are some antlers he's got there!
I imagine that would be a paleo-paradise, eating meat that fed itself naturally. My late, ex-husband's family also fed itself largely on venison that they were all required to acquire in the usual way. I'm not big on venison, but you made that elken goodness sound pretty appetizing. I wish meat tasted bad!
Thanks, C4L! The comment section keeps me coming back, too.
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