When imagining the start of fall in the Rocky Mountains, many people think of the cool, quiet air, the dabs of yellow and orange in the leaves, and the hints of snow starting to fall as late September ...

A bull elk bugles in open meadows at Moraine Park on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park on Oct. 8, 2021. The Elk rut is the mating season for elk and begins in September and ...

As summer winds down and autumn begins its quiet takeover, something wild stirs across America’s forests and valleys. Bull elk bugle, bucks chase does, and moose and deer stake their claims near dawn ...

A bull elk chases after his herd during the elk rut in Estes Park on Sept. 10. Locals and tourists alike have begun to flock to the eastern side of Rocky Mountain National Park and areas surrounding ...

An early morning hike found me two-thirds of the way up a timbered mountain. It was still dark, and I couldn't make my final approach until the air warmed and thermals began flowing uphill. Finally, ...

Fall signals the beginning of the annual elk breeding season, called rut. Big bulls, and sometimes small ones with inflated egos, will clash horns, bugle and chase each other as they compete for ...

Occurred on September 12, 2025 / Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado, USA Info from Licensor: "Bugling bull elk in the Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado announce the beginning of a new rut season. The large ...

Great Smoky Mountains Natl. Park — As the leaves begin to change in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so does the behavior of elk. In the Cataloochee and Oconaluftee areas of the park, elk are ...