Official Bird & Nature Post

Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
11,981
22,506
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PNW
Are those things mellow, or do they get ornery during the rut? I'm scared of hitting a deer with my car. I'd be scared of those things hitting my asshole with their antlers.
They are mostly mellow but definitely can be ornery, as you put it, during rut. Overall they are much more skittish than the local deer which are everywhere and basically DGAF about humans.

I almost hit a large bull elk back in the day driving in a thick fog on the 101. If you've never seen one in person just imagine a cow on stilts with huge antlers. The mass of their body is right about windshield level if you're in a smaller car, which I was.
 
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Hump

Phil Edwards status
Jan 10, 2002
5,909
2,130
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Vancouver Island
They are mostly mellow but definitely can be ornery, as you put it, during rut. Overall they are much more skittish than the local deer which are everywhere and basically DGAF about humans.

I almost hit a large bull elk back in the day driving in a thick fog on the 101. If you've never seen one in person just imagine a cow on stilts with huge antlers. The mass of their body is right about windshield level if you're in a smaller car, which I was.

The winter of 1967-68 up here saw us get a ton of snow and the road between Campbell River and Gold River had it's snow ploughed up into six to eight foot walls in many places.
One of those places was near Buttle Narrows where the bridge crosses the flow from Buttle Lake to Upper Campbell Lake and it was there we encountered the biggest Elk I have ever seen in my life, trapped on the road and unable to get off over the huge snowbanks.
We, my pal Max and I, were in his VW Bug, and fortunately Max spotted the Elk just after we crossed the bridge and braked us to a stop before we reached it. It slowly walked towards us and then lowered its head as if to peek into the car to see if we could help it.
I counted its points and realized it was what we call a "Royal" Elk up here, having eight points on each side of its magnificent rack. Once or twice it put its head back and its antlers hung over its rump. They were huge.
We watched for a bit then another car arrived so we moved around the Elk and carried on to Gold River.
The next morning I asked the freight truck driver if the Elk was still there and he said it was.
It was there Tuesday also and very weak acting, according to the driver.
Wednesday morning he reported that a couple of people from the Wildlife Conservation department had put it down and were loading it onto a small flat-deck truck. It was going to Nanaimo to a lab there for research.

Later I heard that it was 11 years old, which everyone seemed to think was remarkable.
I will never forget how big that guy was and how he dwarfed our VW Bug on that Sunday night, way back then.
I've also encountered them several times when I was fishing the Salmon River, north of Campbell River.
Literally was surrounded by them one time, which was a touch unnerving I'll confess.
Neat critters.




Take care.
 

Sharkbiscuit

Duke status
Aug 6, 2003
26,252
19,081
113
Jacksonville Beach
They are mostly mellow but definitely can be ornery, as you put it, during rut. Overall they are much more skittish than the local deer which are everywhere and basically DGAF about humans.

I almost hit a large bull elk back in the day driving in a thick fog on the 101. If you've never seen one in person just imagine a cow on stilts with huge antlers. The mass of their body is right about windshield level if you're in a smaller car, which I was.
I've seen elk from a distance in Jackson, and I've seen some moose up close there. I don't want those problems.

I'd say 6' diameter boil a board length away from me, at the top of a rip at low tide at Mayport last week. It's easy to sit there and tell yourself you'll catch a set every 15 minutes in bath water to try to maintain some level of surfing sharpness when motivating during the post-work burn. Did not see/hear a turtle/manatee/porpoise surface. I can never shake the "f--k me if I wind up bleeding out for this" second-guessing in barely rideable trade swell in high summer.

What's the gnarliest thing you might come across scouting trout streams or mushrooms or blueberries? Wolf? Bear? Moose? Mother badger?
 
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GromsDad

Duke status
Jan 21, 2014
54,136
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West of the Atlantic. East of the ICW.
Just saw this. Thanks!
Here is the set up I carry around with me when I go hiking around.
Lens: Canon 300L F4 IS with 1.4TC (less the tripod)
New Body: Canon 90D



Nice. I have that same lens but honestly haven't used it much since I got it. I always have the 100-400 ready to go and seldom switch to the 300. I shoot with the 7DII which is a very similar body.
 
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