The Majesty of Elk

Posted on August 12, 2025August 12, 2025 by Dusty Roads

🦌 The Majesty of Elk: A Wildlife Dream Fulfilled

For those who’ve followed my adventures for a while, you know that wildlife photography is one of my greatest joys. There’s something magical about spotting animals in their natural habitat—no fences, no enclosures, just raw, untamed beauty. And among the creatures I’ve longed to see, elk have always held a special place in my heart.

cinnamon colored black bear- but not Elk Wyoming 2017= photo credit Deb Neumann

🌾 The Elusive Elk

My quest to find elk in the wild has taken me across the country. In South Dakota, I encountered prairie dogs, wild horses, and sweeping landscapes that felt like scenes from a nature documentary. Locals assured me elk were nearby, but they always seemed to be just out of reach—like shadows slipping through the trees.

prairie dog with flower- Photo credit Deb Neumann

In 2014, I ventured into the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. There, I finally spotted some elk, but the experience was bittersweet. The herds were tagged and monitored, their movements restricted. They looked subdued, almost domesticated. I had imagined proud, wild creatures echoing their haunting bugle calls through the valleys—but the silence was deafening.

North Carolina 2014- photo credit Deb Neumann

🍁 A Journey to Jackson Hole

I began to think I’d need to travel all the way to Banff National Park in Canada to find the elk I’d dreamed of. But in October 2017, I made my way to Jackson Hole, Wyoming—just in time for the great elk migration.

Elk Herd Outside Jackson Hole 2017- Photo credit Deb Neumann

Although I missed the rut and the iconic bugling calls, I was in the right place at the right time. The elk were moving south from Yellowstone to the National Elk Refuge near Jackson Hole. And that’s when it happened.

👑 A Vision Realized

I finally saw them—my majestic elk. Towering bulls with massive antlers escorted graceful females across golden meadows. The herds were vast, the energy palpable. These elk were everything I had imagined: wild, proud, and breathtakingly beautiful.

Elk Bulls Oversee the Herd Wyoming 2017 – photo credit Deb Neumann

It was a moment years in the making, and one I’ll never forget.

Elk Horn Arch Jackson Hole- photo credit Deb Neumann

I’ve been blocked!

Posted on October 5, 2023October 5, 2023 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

Blocked Again

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I’ve been blogging for years and never had so much trouble with my site. I logged in to post an update and found I was blocked from any new posts- AGAIN! This seems to be happening a lot and its very annoying. This time it was a “Fatal error” with my SEO account. All of those things are supposed to update automatically but apparently the hosting platform is still mixing up the old aroundustyroads.com with the new, active one of arounddustyroads.com. Anyway it took a couple of days/tries but it seems to be working now. Fingers crossed.

Flickr

I have a Flickr account and for a long time it was linked to this blog in the side bar. Lately it doesn’t seem to be updating so that’s another thing I will need to work on. I haven’t worried too much about it because I haven’t added too many new photos to my flickr account but the recent photo contest got me busy uploading some of my pics since that gives me online storage. So if anyone is interested here’s the link to my flickr photostream

Here are a couple of examples of what you’ll find there

Yogi Bear

Wyoming Black Bear 2017- photo credit Deb Neumann

Yes, I know this bear doesn’t look black – more of a cinnamon brown and he didn’t look very big. He could have been a big ole Teddy bear sitting in some kind of bush, you could hardly call it a tree, right by the road and everyone was pulling over to get a look. He paid no attention to any of us gawkers. There must have been some berries or something in those leaves because he was really busy licking them up.

Bull Elk

Bull Elk Wyoming 2017- Photo credit Deb Neumann

The same trip I got to see a huge herd of elk migrating to the elk reserve near Jackson Hole. These two handsome guys were just standing there seemingly surveying all of their domain. The herd wasn’t far away and that consisted of the cows and calves and a few younger bulls. .

Elk herd Wyoming 2017- Photo credit Deb Neumann

A little Slice of the Old West

Posted on December 28, 2017December 27, 2017 by Dusty Roads

Jackson Hole, a Little Valley with a Big Old West Feel

The Wild West comes alive in Jackson. Jackson is the biggest little town in Jackson Hole and the county seat of Teton County. Jackson is the town, Jackson Hole is the Valley. My visit was in the fall, a shoulder season so many of the rootin’ tootin’ cowboy activities were done for the year. To embrace the Old West Days you need to plan a visit on Memorial Day weekend. Jackson kicks off the tourist season with a celebration of western heritage. Enjoy the Jackson Hole Rodeo and the Town Square Shoot Out.

First Stop the Visitor Center

I was nearing the end of my visit to Wyoming and other than driving through Jackson I had spent very little time there. I thought I should take a few hours and explore. My first stop was the Visitor Center. You’ll find the Visitor Center as you drive into Jackson from the Airport. It will be on your left. It’s a large building right next to Flat Creek. In fact, there’s a large observation deck out the back of the building that looks out over the marsh. A great place for bird watching. Outside by the entrance is a statue of an elk.

Inside the Visitor Center

Maybe Welcome Center is more appropriate because the inside was warm and welcoming. To your left is a diorama of an elk herd. Follow their lead to the 2nd floor to view beautiful paintings and prints of the Jackson Hole area. Back down on the first floor is a large gift shop with the usual T shirts, sweat shirts and key chains but the registers are manned by rangers and very knowledgeable locals. They have all the most recent information on animal sightings and maps. Needless to say, I did not leave empty handed!

The Herd at Elk Flats Ranch

Posted on December 4, 2017December 3, 2017 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

Is that a Herd of Cows?

I’d just reached the open land of Elk Flat Ranch when I spotted a herd of something. The dark spots were scattered across the landscape. At first I thought they were cows, after all this is cow country. A lone car was pulled over while the driver scanned the horizon. Maybe there was more there than meets the eye so I stopped too. Good thing I did. I was about to see 3 of the major herd animals all in one place. The black spots I thought were cows were actually bison!

B is not just for bears

Not just for bears, B can be for Buffalo or more correctly Bison. Those dark spots I was watching turned out to be bison. As I watched them I saw some other movement in the herd that didn’t seem to flow with the bison. I’d forgotten to pack my binoculars so I grabbed the camera. Not as much magnification as I’d have with binoculars but better than my naked eyes. Right in the middle of the Bison herd was a small herd of Elk.

Elk on the run

The elk herd consisted of several females and at least 2 bulls. The bulls were a mismatched pair, one set of antlers much larger than the other. The bigger bull seemed to be bullying the smaller one. Both were running circles around the females. It was like watching a National Geographic wildlife special for real! But wait, there’s something else moving in that herd and it’s not a bison or an elk.

Prong Horn Antelope too

On the outskirts of the combined Bison/Elk herd I spotted two moving objects that were much lighter in color and moved very differently than the lumbering buffalo or the elegant elk. It’s a pair of prong horn antelope. Could this be where the “deer and antelope play”? The prong horns seemed to be with the herd and yet apart as they bounced around the fringes. Soon they would be joining other prong horns to start their annual migration.

From zero to 4 in 30 minutes

From no animals to 4 different species in about 30 minutes! Bears, bison, elk & prong horn. Not bad for the afternoon! But I still have about 50 miles to go to get back to the Teton Club. Maybe there’s more in store.

Looking for Teton Village

Posted on October 17, 2017October 15, 2017 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

Teton Village and the Teton Club

My resort is the Teton Club in Teton Village. I has taken me 3 years to get a reservation here. My first impression as I drove along the road from the airport is that this is cow country. Cattle fill the pastures along the way. Of course where there are cows there must be cowboys. There are almost as many pastures filled with horses as there are with cattle.

National Elk Refuge

There is a fence line along the highway with signs for the National Elk Refuge. Right now I don’t see any elk but the refuge was created in 1912. Early residents from Jackson Hole valued the Elk for their antlers, hide and meat. Elk migrate from as far away as southern Yellowstone National Park. The Sanctuary protects elk habitat. The Boy Scouts collect the antlers that are shed and sell them to pay for feed to help the herd survive the harsh winters. I’m hoping the elk migration will begin while I’m here. Elk are on my bucket list to see.

Town of Jackson

My directions take me into the Town of Jackson. What’s the difference between Jackson and Jackson Hole? A hole is a valley and Jackson is a town. So Jackson Hole is the whole area while Jackson is the principal town in the valley. As I entered Jackson I noticed a beautiful Visitor Center. Once I find the resort I’ll have to stop back here. I’m sure they have lots of information. I passed the town square which seems to be the heart of Jackson. The 4 entrances to the town square are marked by huge elk antler arches. They have similar arches at the airport and in front of several motels. There are animal and western sculptures everywhere.

There’s a Moose on the Loose!

As I turned onto RT 390 I spotted cars lining both sides of the road. A moose was calmly wandering through someone’s backyard. All the cars on the side of the road belong to people like me-tourists. They were following the poor moose with cameras snapping. My camera was still packed with my luggage in the trunk so no picture this time. I’m still looking for that resort.

Tag Archives: elk

The Majesty of Elk