The Elk and the Coyote, a short story

kdog

Late this afternoon I came across something different and so I stopped to take a look. It was a herd of elk cows looking nervous. Notice how tightly they're grouped, and the elks at the top of the group are all looking at something.


Scanning the horizon in the direction of the elks interest, I spotted a coyote watching them which I assumed to be the source of their concern. Sorry for the quality of these shots, but they were taken from hundreds of yards away. I was using a 500mm lens, TC1.4X, on a crop-body camera, and they were still just dots on the frame.


Suddenly a cow walked up the hill directly towards the coyote and stared it down. A second elk acted as reinforcement off to the side (lower left).


The coyote decided it was out-sized, and so sauntered off to avoid the conflict.


Once the danger was passed, the elk spread out and went back to elk business as usual.


Thanks for looking and I hope you enjoyed the little story.
-joel

Tango

Sexy6Chick

Nothing like a pictorial story

pathfinder

Sounds like you are having a blast in Yellowstone. I wish I could have been there over the holiday too.

Lots of neat stuff to see, even if it is too far away for good image quality. I shot coyotes almost 1/4 mile away in the Lamar Valley - like you say, just very small dots in the frame at 600mm on a crop body, but still cool to watch.

Cuong

I like happy endings.

Cuong

Gale

How great to watch nature unfold right in front of you and record it.
Super pics

Thanks
Happy Holidays

kdog

Thanks, everybody! Glad you enjoyed the little tale.

Gale, yes it is very nice to watch nature unfold before your eyes. I've learned quite a bit about nature this week actually. Today will be my last day in the park, then it's a long drive home. It's been a good week. There will be lots more pictures to come.

Merry Christmas!
-joel

Harryb

Excellent Looks like you had a fantastic trip.

sgonen

This is what I love about shooting - it's the experience that I enjoy the most - looks like you had a great time up there - thanks for sharing!

kdog

pathfinder wrote:

Sounds like you are having a blast in Yellowstone. I wish I could have been there over the holiday too.

Had a blast, Jim. I just got home after marathon drive. The temps got very cold and it snowed again, and the last two days were pretty slim pickings for wildlife viewing. Still, it made for more time to explore, and just to observe. That's fine as well.

Lots of neat stuff to see, even if it is too far away for good image quality. I shot coyotes almost 1/4 mile away in the Lamar Valley - like you say, just very small dots in the frame at 600mm on a crop body, but still cool to watch.

True, but for every coyote 1/4 miles away, there's also the one in the middle of the road blocking traffic.

I want to thank you for prodding me to take this trip and for all the good and patient info you gave me. Thank you.

-joel

kdog

Thanks Harry and Shimon. I wish Yellowstone wasn't such a long drive. Words like "special", and "fantastic" just seem so hollow to describe Yellowstone. It's so cool, it's almost spiritual. I took some time to hike and just sit out in the wild and enjoy the place near the end of my trip. Can't wait to go back.

Perhaps some time we can arrange a Dgrin mini-shootout there. I only say "mini" because logistically this isn't an easy trip and not for everyone. But of course, the more the merrier. I now have an excellent snowmobile guide if people want to go that route. Splitting the cost of the guide, and the individual snowmobile rentals are way cheaper than I would have thought. And we'd have our own tour tailored to our needs and desires. Something to think about.

Thanks again, and there will be more pics to come as I process them.
-joel