Yellowstone Bound! I made it. Here are some pics.

[popeshawnpaul]

Wow.  Good herd bull there.  Nothing wrong with good pictures of smaller bulls too.  Keep at it man. 

[Ricochet]

Thanks for sharing, I hope to make to Yellowstone someday.  Great shots, can't wait to see more.

[searchnfor]

Looks like a lot of fun Jon, thanks for sharing your adventure.

[shanevg]

Awesome pics Jon, keep up the good work and have fun in your time off!

[Timber]

Day 2
Right at daylight I had a lot of elk action. I was surrounded by 4 or 5 bulls bugling their lungs out. But, I didn't get a single shot. I caught glimpses of 2 of them. They were nice. I ended up bumping some cows and that was the end of that.

Then I decided to explore the northern half of the park. I spotted a few bison, a few more bull elk and a decent mule deer. I spent a lot of time glassing and driving back and forth over Dunraven pass hoping to spot a grizzly. No such luck. I missed one by 10 minutes my first trip over, then talked to a guy who had been up there most of the day and had already seen 3.

[shanevg]

I like that bison picture, one of the better ones I've seen.  Hopefully you find one of those grizzlies.  I know where a sow with three cubs is hanging out up in Glacier... a bunch of moose too!

[Timber]

Day Three AM
The forest fire is getting bigger and the smoke was a problem today. It made for some interesting light but there was a smokey haze that didn't go away until late moring. The bugling this morning was not as intense. There were only 2 bulls screaming and it took me a while to get in on them. I was being extra careful today to not bump any cows. Eventually I saw a giant bull chase off a satelite bull right to me. I got some pics of him before he barked and ran off. I got a few shots of the giant herd bull way off in the jack pines. I tried to close in on him but he stayed in the thick stuff.

Soon after giving up on the herd bull, I heard some antlers clashing. I closed in on the sound and found a 4pt and a small 5x6 horsing around. I got a few shots of them before the 4pt gave up and left.

[Timber]

Day three PM
I got to the elk spot at 4:30 this afternoon hoping I could finally get a good pic of the big bull. I had a pretty good idea where he might be. Soon after hiking in there, I heard his distinctive raspy bugle. I headed towards the sound and caught sight of him as he walked into an opening. It worked out perfect. I was able to snap quite a few photos of him before he heard my camera and left.

Right before dark I found a young bull and got a few pics of him. Tonight was the highlight of my trip so far. Any guesses on the score of the big bull?

[Tom Reichner]

Great stuff, Jon!

That's a special bull.  His antlers are exceptionally dark, which makes him unique in my book.  You did get some very nice images of him!  It's good to hear that your trip is getting better as the days progress.  It often takes a while to figure out a new location and new subjects.

BTW, I especially like the fact that the white of the bull's eye is showing in that one fight pic.  The eyes often make or break the shot.  Hope you get more good stuff tomorrow!

[boneaddict]

I CANNOT wait to get home to see these.  I'm actually excited!   Sounds very cool Jon.  Maybe we can do a trip one of these days. 

[tlbradford]

I CANNOT wait to get home to see these.  I'm actually excited!   Sounds very cool Jon.  Maybe we can do a trip one of these days. 

You should be excited, it is a special bull.  I like the sparring pic with the thick smoke in the background.  More for the story it tells than anything else.  Keep up the great work Timber.

[saylean]

fantastic pics man. Thanks alot for posting.

[popeshawnpaul]

I love the smoke Jon.  I think it adds an interesting element to the photo.  It could be fog too and the mystery of it is what makes it cool.  I've been going to that spot for 11 years and it never fails that there is a big bull in there. 

That big bull is amazing.  I'll check through my photos and see if I have pictures of him from last year.  I have found over the years that the spot produces a lot of really dark horned bulls because they rub on the jack pines and that gets pitch all over the horns and then dirt sticks to the pitch.  Remember, these elk migrate out of the park in another month or so and they are hunted then so they are fairly wild bulls you are working.  That's what makes it fun and interesting.  Sounds like the rut may be calming down or the smoke is bothering them.  Good stuff.

[muleysgirl13]

Awesome pictures thanks for sharing your trip with us!  I would love to take a trip there.  Do you still have some days left to continue to search for a Grizzly?  Good luck I hope you get to see one

[shanevg]

Awesome pictures as usual Jon!  Good to see that you are figuring the animals out, I love the picture of that huge bull, I am not good at scoring, but I would guess at least 400.  We need bucklucky on here, he's always good at scoring elk!