A Gentle Giant

At first light Sunday morning Willard and I again began driving the roads around Benezette in search of elk. After checking Winslow Hill we turned onto Rt 555. After checking out a herd of cows, calves and young bulls feeding in a lawn we were heading back towards Benezette when I spotted two rack bulls feeding between a house and barn. Turning onto a side road we stopped to photograph the bulls.

The largest bull, posted here, turned out to be a bull we were very familiar with. I have had the privilege to have photographed him over a period of four years. Currently one of my images of him from the rut of 2008 graces both the 2010 Pa Game Commission calendar and the March/April issue of Pennsylvania Magazine

During all of my encounters with this animal he has been very docile and absolutely fearless of humans, neither attempting to approach or to retreat. This photograph was taken in the current Elk Hunt Zone 2.

How can I say it; it both breaks my heart and makes me boiling mad, that some would kill & assist to kill this gentle animal in the name of sport hunting and then have the audacity to call him a “Trophy”.