Elks and Photography

Oct. 23, 2013 – Cataloochee Valley in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

In English:


My first thoughts were “wow, he’s getting pretty damn close here.” But I’ve been up close before without incident. I hoped being still and passive would see him pass on. When he lowered his antlers to me, I wanted to keep my vitals protected and my head down. I felt that standing up would provoke him more and leave me more vulnerable to goring.

I think that while protecting myself with my head down, having my head down was a signal that I was rutting with him. I was concerned at first, but when he started rearing back and lunging at me later on, I got scared and pissed off. That’s when I wagged my finger at him to cut that s*** out. I was relieved to see the Ranger coming.

En français:

Mes premières pensées ont été : “Wow, il vient plutôt près”. J’espérais que rester passif le ferait partir. Quand il s’est baissé avec ses bois, je voulais simplement protéger ma tête en la baissant tout autant. J’ai senti que si je me levais, il aurait pris ça pour une provocation.

J’évaluais en réalité, pendant que je me protégeais avec la tête baissée, qu’il s’agissait d’un signal qui montrait que j’étais en rut avec lui. J’étais inquiet, mais quand il a commencé à reculer et à faire un mouvement brusque vers l’avant, là j’ai commencé à prendre peur […].

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