Hanging with the Herd~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Wild Life

I seek out solitary wilderness. (Click to enlarge).

But,

when it comes to wild elk,

especially calves,

you’ll find me,

hanging,

with the herd,

especially the nursery!

Cheers to you from Requa California~

135 thoughts on “Hanging with the Herd~”

  5. Adorable. I am also a sucker for baby elk, deer, antelope etc. We had a pet antelope when I was growing up. (the mommy had died giving birth and she was orphaned so we took her in) Lovely pictures.

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  6. What gorgeous creatures you have captured Cindy. Just look at those ears! Like the velvet soft ears of a deer. And the babies in the nursery! I spent my 30th birthday years ago at the home of my boss and his wife. My boss’ parents joined for dinner. His father brought a special dish for my birthday meal: a steak from an Elk. He was proud to t3ll us all that he had shot the Elk himself in Montana. I could not refuse to at least taste the steak. That would have been very rude. To this day some decades laree, I still feel guilty about eating such a magnificent beast. What a memory your post has awakened! Best, Babsje

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    1. I hear you and am so impressed that you retain the memory and your dissonance with the situation you were put in, and also admire your sensitivity and concern. I read a quote that Mark Zuckerberg likes to kill the animals he eats because “they taste better.” It’s good we won’t be invited for dinner at the Zuckerbergs! დდ

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      1. Oh my. What a quote that is!! Yes good thing we won’t be invited to dinner there. Thanks for your kind words and for your own sensitive, gorgeous wildlife photos. The birds especially!

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  8. I have nothing against sheep (especially on the plate with mint sauce, wicked me…) but your animals are so graceful and I certainly wouldn’t eat one! (Can imagine indignation from vegetarian quarters…) Cheers! x

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  13. Wonderful pictures. By the way, when I am on your site it asks me to follow you, however I am already and I do get emails when you have a new post. I shall press the follow button again though, just in case. There is certainly something strange with your followers.

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  21. That’s what our small town of Gearhart (North Oregon coast) looks like sometimes. It’s calving season. Moms are okay unless you try to get too close. We have a large herd.

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  25. Such gorgeous, fuzzy babies! Great photos, Cindy — they must know you’re not about to hurt them, or they’d have never let you get close enough to photograph.

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  28. Wow! I have never seen Elk like these, Cindy. Ours, in the mountains of Arizona, looked a bit different gathered in the middle of the main thoroughfare. We’d get whole herds at dusk crossing roads so you had to be very careful. I never wanted to accidentally hurt one. Beautiful in that meadow.

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      1. Elk in Arizona are usually up in the mountains. Herds would block the main artery from Payson to Heber. Then all the way through Pinetop to Greer. They love the high altitude.

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        1. We should both get bumper stickers, for our cars, yours “Elk Country Arizona,” mine, “Elk Country California!” I would put mine above my “Caution German Driver,” bumper sticker, which, of course, is with me as I type. Love to you Marlene დ

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                1. Just went over an read your post and left a comment. Difficult transition and decision, but it sounds like you thought it through very carefully. I am happy you have such loving family around you. You deserve it! დ

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                  1. I regret the decision every time I want to load the beast up with something to take somewhere. My daughter drove it most of the time we used it as I have done little driving the last year.

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    1. They are so sweet and they do look like Bambi. I think the Disney illustrators were very talented and often accurate, except for roadrunners, who look nothing like Meep Meep! დ

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    1. They are pretty special, thank you Eliza. Today we hiked in the National Council of Garden Club’s Rhododendron Grove in the redwoods. This is the best time for wild flowers and the lilies and wild iris were simply stunning. So many species. I thought of you დ

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        1. I have. There is wild butterfly bush, wild (real fuschia), wild asiatic lilies, wild orchids, wild roses, on and on. It is a botanical wonder. And this is peak bloom season and they grow amongs denset fern, in old growth redwood forests, with very limited human traffic. The only people we ran into hiking yesterday was a prof from Humboldt State and his wife, who identified many of the plants that stumped me. There are so many other things too, that the flowers are just, are just like, “Oh, my, look at that!” Stay well my friend. დ

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  44. Timelesslady

    I love your photographs. I have been so busy in the garden, only now, when everything is growing faster than the weeds am I getting back to reading blogs with any regularity.

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  48. Spent quite a bit of time in Point Reyes NP with the coastal elk hangin’ around. Crazy to see those massive animals just there amongst the pickleweed and scrub oaks.

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    1. I was riveted……My husband was quiet and watching, and then finally says, “Cindy, we’ve been here for hours, can we go?”
      For me it was mere minutes 😉

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  53. Where’s all the males? It’s just ladies and young ones. Seems like a house party where all the guys are in the garage, LOL. We just spent a couple of days in the Rockies and were lucky to see a few mama’s and they calves around. Aren’t they beautiful 💛 xK

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