Evening Snowfall - American Elk

As night approaches, a gentle fall of snow drifts down in the aspen grove. It slowly coats the back of the big bull elk as he watches part of his herd move down the slope to a sheltered resting place. With the frenzy of the autumn rutting competition over, he can relax control of his harem.

The American elk, or wapiti, is, next to the moose, the largest of the North American deer. A bull can weigh in the neighbourhood of one thousand pounds with antlers up to six feet long.

In winter, the herds join in groups of up to one hundred in the more protected mountain valleys. In early times, the elk ranged over much of central North America. Due to hunting pressure it is now found in isolated pockets of unexploited habitats, mainly in the west. The European red deer is another race of this species found in places like the Scottish Highlands or the Black Forest of Germany. It is more reddish-brown and slighter in build than its American cousin.