Evening Elk Herd

Photographer: In exemption of the first, by Cynthia Fraser, the photos here are taken by Finn Fraser Grathwol. More of Finn’s photos can be seen at @finnfrasergrathwolphoto on instagram.

In the late evening (read: very low shutter speeds and blurrier photos) on the way back from Arrow Lakes on Canada day, we (myself, my dad, and Cynthia) came across a herd of 15-20 Rocky Mountain Elk, the local subspecies, by the side of the highway. Judging by the antlers, the herd appears to be almost exclusively comprised of females and 1-2 year old young males, referred to as cows to bulls, respectively.

Below, courtesy of Cynthia Fraser, a larger-scale sample of this herd is pictured, including a few month old calf. 

Here, a mother and her son pose for a family portrait. 

Two males; note the difference in antler length – perhaps signifying a slight age difference.

A different male rests — or rather uses his mother for a chin rub — it is unclear what behaviour is being exhibited. 

A young male elk times his obligatory nose cleaning perfectly with my camera’s shutter.