Elks like to wallow in mud. Why they do this seems to change with the season. In the summer, a coating of mud probably cools the animal and protects it from insects. But, why should an elk wallow in the fall? The answer is given by a Washington State website:
Probably the most easily identified elk sign is the mud wallow scented with urine and droppings. Bull elk roll in wallows to cover their bodies with scent, creating bathtub-size depressions with low walls of displaced mud ringing their perimeters. Receptive cow elk, drawn by the odor, will also roll and urinate in the wallow, indicating their willingness to mate. Elk that use these wallows may become so foul smelling that, when downwind, humans can easily detect their presence.
Doug Thorburn mounted a motion-activated infrared camera beside a local elk wallow and then waited. Finally, a bull elk visited and produced the sequence, below.
A bull elk with seven tines on each antler (an imperial bull) triggers the camera.
Turning to enter the wallow, he calls, a frequent activity during rutting season.
It seems that just before entering the wallow, the elk bumped the camera, which is now tipped.
The time has come for a good soak in that lovely aromatic mud.
His underside now coated with…er…eau de toilette, he departs on a date. We wish him every success.
Doug Thorburn’s pictures are used with permission.
Terrific sequence of photos and description, Doug and Alistair. Thank you for my Friday afternoon natural history lesson.
Nicely presented Alistair. The elk did indeed give the camera a bump part-way through the sequence of shots.