Monday, April 14, 2014

Wapiti Romp-By

The Gang Romps in From the North
Passing Elmira Pond
Gilded Rump in the Morning Sun
A "Little" Yearling
Bouncing to the Beat
Entering the Blue Bird Ranch
Movin' and Groovin'
The Gang Has Romped By
Wapiti trot past the pond.

Elk are like the hip-hoppers of the Rocky Mountains. Rarely do they amble or glide like deer; they bounce in such a way as to rock their golden rumps from side-to side. They'll play chase in large open fields, bucking and kicking at each other the way kids will rough-house.

Wapiti romp to their own hoof-drumming beat.

Dawn's morning light adds extra gild to their tawny hides with furry patches of russet. The romp-by begins north of Elmira Pond as the elk herd--called a gang--bobbles across a neighbor's field. I can see their glistening hides as the gang weaves in and out of Ponderosa pines.

Not much will stop a gang. Wapiti stand four to five feet tall at the shoulder and can weigh up to 1,100 pounds! Imagine a bull-elk with a four-foot rack. He'd tower over professional basketball players, and they too, would step out of the way.

Steam rises softly from Elmira Pond. Ducks, geese and mergansers may already be floating on the waters, but it's hard to see them through the mist.

Mist doesn't hide the wapiti that continue past the pond. From a safe distance--my husband proudly declares me a chicken and I accept that title--I snap photos. He'll be so happy to see them.

Wapiti is a Cree or Shawnee name meaning, "light-colored deer."  Yet, somehow, Todd and I took to calling elk, "lokies" when we lived in Montana during the 1990s. Maybe one of the kids called an elk a "lokie;" maybe we confused it for "wapiti."

Traveling the 15 miles between Sandpoint and Elmira, we always look for the gang. We know the wapiti hot-spots. We've paused many times to watch them romp or feed in several hay fields.

Once we even watched a dog pursue a wapiti. Several more chased the dog and most of the gang continued to graze, unconcerned.

They graze like gilded lightening. We've watched them push through here in less than 10 minutes, eating grass the entire time. Always, though, they show up at the worst lighting for photos and I have sketchy snapshots that strain the imagination.

But today is my lucky, golden day. Today I have a full wapiti romp-by in good lighting.

The gang moves on and the sun rises. Such is life on Elmira Pond.

10 comments:

  1. Nice that you have Elk coming around so close to where you live. Beautiful creatures.

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    1. They're such lively creatures. Very fun to watch.

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  2. Such an amazing way to start your day. The huge elk herds here have headed back up into the mountains. It was such a thrill to see them this winter when they grazed at lower elevations. Truly majestic creatures.

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    1. You have some really big herds around you. I think this is just the local gang! Too much snow yet in the Selkirks so we get to enjoy them a while longer.

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  3. Oh how I miss seeing the elk pass by without a care but the grass they are eating. You have some amazing pictures here. I remember one time my hubby and I were out snowmobiling. As we flew down the road two elk were bedded down in a neighbors yard. We couldn't help but stop to enjoy their magnificent beauty. It was amazing to see horns so long they reach the elk's bum when he lifted his head. I wished I could have snapped a photo. Thanks for sharing a bit of your day.

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    1. They are so massive, but like you say, majestic! I love the rump-waggles they do as they trot. Thanks for sharing your story! So many times we don't have a camera, but the snapshot remains with us.

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  4. Especially love 'the gang has romped by' photo. The 'rump-waggles' view tells its own story.... "Bye, so long, time to go, see you later....."

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    1. Yes! That shot really lets you understand how amazing their butt-waggles are!

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  5. Wow, what a treat it must have been to see these in the wild!

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    1. With coffee in hand! Actually, the treat was seeing them in enough light to take photos!

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