Best Bull - Elk Rut 2010

During my stay in Pennsylvania's Elk Country this was the largest racked bull that I encountered.  The photo session with this animal was short as we first sighted him early in the evening as he approached the crest on a hill on a newly reclaimed strip mine.  The bull was walking swiftly and I had to hurry to get into position to get the autumn foliage in the background.  Without this maneuver the photos would have only shown the elk on barren ground with a gray sky beyond.

Another elk viewer who was watching from a distance later told me that he had observed two hunters following this animal and had turned back shortly before he crested the hill.  The hunters would have been the individual holding the Governor's Conservation Tag and his guide. 

As the bull moved off he stopped to bugle while standing near the crest of the hill.  The overcast skies did nothing to enhance this photo of the outstanding bull.  Replacing the gray sky with a sky shot taken that same morning before sunrise changed the image completely.