Charger: a Bull Elk in Yellowstone National Park

This page contains 75 images of Charger, the dominant bull in the Norris Junction area.
A 6 point bull elk with distinctive shoulder scars, he was named after a famous predecessor
who lived in the area until 1993, and for his habit of charging at tourists who approach too close.

Most of the wildlife images from Yellowstone were prepared without title bars.

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Charger: a Bull Elk Elk of Mammoth Hot Springs Miscellaneous Elk

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Elk Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

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Charger: a Bull Elk Elk of Mammoth Hot Springs Miscellaneous Elk

Elk Norris Junction 0683

Charger poses in the meadow near the Norris Ranger Station in Yellowstone National Park.

This 6 point bull elk is actually the second to carry the name. The original Charger was an
8 x 6 point bull elk in the Norris Junction area who was killed by an illegal hunter in 1993.
The poacher was turned in by a taxidermist who recognized Charger’s antlers from a
magazine article and contacted investigators. 6 point Charger, with his distinctive
shoulder scars, was named for his habit of charging at tourists who get too close.

Happy Elk Norris Junction 0691

Charger smiles for the camera in the large meadow near the ranger station at Norris Junction.

This is a timing shot, taken as the jaws lined up while the elk was chewing on a piece of grass.

Happy Elk Norris Junction 0691c

The linked image is a 960 x 1200 detail crop from the previous image.

Elk Bugling at Sunset Norris Junction 0696 M

Charger bugling at sunset. Elk bugle in different ways for several reasons: to communicate to their
harem that they are in the area, to warn the cows that they are straying too far, and aggressive calls
to other bulls that they are getting too close to the harem or as a challenge to the other bull elk. The
sound of a bugling elk is distinctive, beginning low in the throat and rising to a whistling scream,
then falling to a series of hollow grunts. The primal scream of the bugling elk is as identifiable
as the sound of a howling wolf. It awakens ancient aboriginal memories and once you have
heard this haunting cry you will never forget it. Female elk (cows) are attracted to bulls
which bugle louder and more often, so during the fall rut the sound is omnipresent.

All of the landscape (horizontal) large version images linked from the thumbnails are 1500 pixels wide.
Portrait (vertical) images are 1200 pixels tall (1290 pixels with title bar). Images designated with an “M”
in the shot number are 5:4 aspect ratio, 1500 x 1290 with a title bar, or 1500 x 1200 without the title bar.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0699

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0710

Charger, a renowned 6 point bull elk, poses near the Norris Ranger Station in Yellowstone National Park.

Elk Bugling at Sunset Norris Junction 0703

Elk bugle during the rutting period which occurs from late August through early October. The breeding
period, or rut, occurs primarily in September, but may begin in mid-August or extend into mid-October.
During the breeding period, a mature bull elk can acquire a harem of up to thirty or more cows, about
half of which are in prime breeding condition. There may also be a yearling bull (known as a spike
for its single point antlers) or an older but less mature hanger-on, a young bull who is attracted to
the herd but is subordinate to the dominant bull. This herding pattern only occurs during the rut.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0706

Charger eyes the photographer in a meadow near Norris Junction in Yellowstone National Park.

During the summer, cows, calfs and yearlings usually run in large herds, and bulls are either
solitary or run in small groups of two or three. In the winter, bulls congregate in bands known as
bachelor groups, and the cows, calves and immature bulls run in herds numbering in the hundreds.

Elk Bugling at Sunset Norris Junction 0713c

Elk Bugling at Sunset Norris Junction 0716c

Charger approaches while bugling aggressively to warn the photographer against
approaching any closer. These images were taken at 420mm. Sometimes tourists
with point-and-shoot cameras will approach very closely to attempt to get portraits
with their short focal-length lenses, and elk can charge at them with their sharp
antlers forward. Charger was named for his propensity to charge at tourists.

Elk Bugling at Sunset Norris Junction 0718 M

A 1200 x 1600 image of Charger bugling during a close approach at sunset.

Further below are images taken later in this series at 300mm, which show
Charger in an aggressive display just at the limit before charging. I had been
in the meadow for quite a while and Charger was accustomed to my presence.
Under normal circumstances, approaching that close to Charger would result in
a dangerous attack. This bull elk had a propensity for attacks on photographers
and unwary tourists, and had been known to take out camera equipment as well.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Elk Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

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Charger: a Bull Elk Elk of Mammoth Hot Springs Miscellaneous Elk

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0728

Charger posing at Norris Junction in the golden light of sunset.

Elk Bugling at Sunset Norris Junction 0730c

Charger bugles aggressively at the photographer to warn against
closer approach. It is a good idea not to move much when this happens.

Notice the exceptional width of the antlers of this mature bull elk.
Females are attracted to bulls with large, wide-spreading antlers.

Elk Bugling at Sunset Norris Junction 0736

Elk Bugling at Sunset Norris Junction 0741

Charger takes an aggressive stance, bugling and displaying his wide rack of antlers.

Antlers grow from two pedicles, which are specialized bone-follicles on the head. Every spring, layers of cartilage called velvet antlers grow from the pedicles. Antlers grow faster than any other animal bone, and can grow up to an inch a day. They are covered with velvet, a vascular skin which provides blood, nutrients and growth hormone to the developing antler. Antlers grow from the tip, and the cartilage below is gradually mineralized into bone. Once the antler has reached full size, the velvet falls away or is rubbed off, and the bone dies. The mature antler retains grooves showing the path of blood vessels from the velvet, and North American Elk antlers can weigh up to 40 pounds and have a spread as wide as four feet.

Antlers differ from Horns in several ways:

Horns are a layer of Keratin (like fingernails and hair) over a living bony core. Antlers are true bone structures.
Horns are slow-growing and permanent (not shed each year). Antlers are fast-growing and are shed each year.
Horns are usually grown by both sexes. Antlers are usually grown only by males (except for reindeer or caribou).
Horns are usually single tines, often curved or spiral, and exhibit annual growth rings indicating an animal’s age.
Antlers are associated with testosterone and are often branched. The number of tines do not indicate the age.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0747

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0752

Charger digs into the meadow with his antlers in an aggressive display.

These images were exposed for the light in the shadows at the expense of some overexposure in
sunlit areas, and images in this series from here forward were taken from closer range at 300mm.
This is definitely as close as you want to approach Charger, and even though he was accustomed
to my presence he still approached now and then to warn me not to get any closer to his harem.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0751 M

A 1500 x 1290 version of a close portrait at sunset of Charger, the dominant bull elk at Norris Junction.

Elk Affection at Sunset Norris Junction 0761

Elk Affection at Sunset Norris Junction 0763

Charger licks one of the favored cows in his harem at sunset.

Elk Norris Junction Tasting Pheromones 0766

Charger tasting estrus pheromones at sunset. Note his distinctive shoulder scar.
Elk can often be wounded in confrontations while defending their harems from
challenges which occur when other elk try to take over the harem. Eventually
an interloper will win a confrontation and the winner will take over the herd.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0771

The bull elk known as Charger poses in the golden light of a September sunset in Yellowstone National Park.

Elk Norris Junction Tasting Pheromones 0775

Elk Norris Junction Tasting Pheromones 0779

Charger tasting estrus pheromones in the large meadow at Norris Junction at sunset.

Elk Bugling at Sunset Norris Junction 0777

Charger bugles during a pheromone tasting session at sunset in the meadow behind Norris Ranger Station.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
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Charger: a Bull Elk Elk of Mammoth Hot Springs Miscellaneous Elk

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0783

Charger watches a small group of bison escorting a calf through his meadow at sunset.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0785 M

A 1500 x 1290 close portrait of Charger at sunset.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0792

Charger approaches even closer to the photographer. This approach
came well within the comfort zone, and I thought he may be about to charge.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0795

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0796

Charger comes in very close, and stares down the photographer.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0798 M

A 1000 x 1600 close portrait of Charger in a very aggressive display.

After this display, for a few minutes I was prepared to raise my tripod in
defense and back away, but Charger just stood there and looked at me.

Whew. Nearly an underwear-changing moment.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0811

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0813

Charger eyes the photographer during a close approach in the waning light at sunset.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0827

Charger raises his head into a ray of light in an aggressive display at sunset.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0841

Charger’s Last Huzzah, raising his majestic head and bugling as the sun drops below the horizon.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Elk Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

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Charger: a Bull Elk Elk of Mammoth Hot Springs Miscellaneous Elk

Elk Bugling at Rest Norris Junction 9725

Charger bugles at rest at the edge of the small meadow on the opposite side of Norris Canyon Road.

Elk Bugling at Rest Norris Junction 9732 M

Elk Bugling at Rest Norris Junction 9754 M

Bull elk can become exhausted from long days of herding and breeding cows (and occasional fights
with competing bulls), and often do not take time to eat. They sometimes find a pleasant spot near the
edge of their territory and lay down for a bit of rest, lazily bugling to stay in contact with their harem.

Elk Bugling at Rest Norris Junction 9755

Charger bugles while resting in the small meadow on the edge of his territory in the late afternoon.

Elk at Rest Norris Junction 9757

A ray of low-angle sunlight illuminates Charger’s eye as he rests in the late afternoon.

Elk at Rest Norris Junction 9014c

Elk at Rest Norris Junction 9792c

Charger at rest in the mid-afternoon in the large meadow and in the late afternoon in the small meadow.

Elk Norris Junction 9745

Charger inspects the edge of the small meadow in the late afternoon, looking for a good spot to rest.

Elk Bugling Norris Junction 9143

Charger bugling at rest in the late morning. Note the sharp points on his antlers.

Elk Bugling Norris Junction 9149

Elk Bugling Norris Junction 9153

Charger stands while bugling to call his harem to him at Norris Junction in the late morning.

Elk Bugling Norris Junction 9159

Charger bugles to his harem in the large meadow at Norris Junction in the late morning.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
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Charger: a Bull Elk Elk of Mammoth Hot Springs Miscellaneous Elk

Elk Norris Junction 9167

Charger stands over one of his cows in the large meadow at Norris Junction in the late morning.

Elk are one of the largest animals in the deer family, and are only surpassed by the moose. Elk
were originally named by early European explorers who thought that they resembled a moose,
so they gave it the name elk which was the common name for European moose. The native
Shawnee name for the animal was Wapiti (literally: white rump), and this name is used for
Asian subspecies because in Eurasia the name Elk is still used for the Eurasian moose.

Elk Norris Junction Tasting Pheromones 9165

Elk Bugling Norris Junction 9173

Charger tasting estrus pheromones and bugling in the late morning behind the Norris Ranger Station.

Elk Norris Junction 8641

Elk Norris Junction 8643

Charger poses in a small creek at the southern edge of the large meadow in his territory.

Elk Norris Junction 8645

Charger posing in a tributary creek of the Gibbon River near Norris Junction in Yellowstone National Park.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 0092

Charger surveys his domain in the Norris Junction area of Yellowstone National Park at sunset.

Charger is a Rocky Mountain Elk, one of four subspecies in North America. Rocky Mountain Elk
from Wyoming were reintroduced to Colorado in 1913 after the near extinction of the herds due
to overhunting and human encroachment and destruction of the habitat and migratory corridors.

Elk in the Greater Yellowstone area take part in the longest elk migration in the continental US.
Elk in the southern Yellowstone area migrate to Jackson Hole, WY to winter in the Elk Refuge.
Elk in the northern areas of Yellowstone migrate to lower altitudes in north and west Montana.

Elk Norris Junction Tasting Pheromones 0118

Charger tasting estrus pheromones at sunset. Estrus pheromones are produced during the estrus cycle,
which only lasts a day or two, although if the female is not bred during this period she will have another cycle
three to four weeks later. Bull elk taste the pheromones to determine if a particular cow is ready to mate.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Elk Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

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Charger: a Bull Elk Elk of Mammoth Hot Springs Miscellaneous Elk

Elk Bugling Norris Junction 0008

Elk Bugling Norris Junction 0010

Charger the bull elk bugles during the rut, near one of the cows in his harem in the late afternoon.

Elk Bugling Norris Junction 0011

Charger bugles with great enthusiasm while the cow listens apathetically.

Elk Bugling Norris Junction 0016

The cow begins to show a little interest, rising a bit and turning her ears towards him...

Elk Norris Junction 0017

... when Charger settles down, the female looks over and then lies back down. “Not time yet”, she says.

Elk Bugling Norris Junction 0021

Elk Displaying Norris Junction 0022

Charger bugles and digs his antlers into the earth in a mating display, then checks around
to see if any of the harem cows are interested before bugling again. This is the way of the rut.

Elk Norris Junction 0023

Elk Bugling Norris Junction 0025

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
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Charger: a Bull Elk Elk of Mammoth Hot Springs Miscellaneous Elk

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 9810

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 9812

Charger wandering across the southern end of the large meadow in the golden light at sunset.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 9813 M

A 1500 x 1290 portrait of Charger checking out the photographer at sunset.
The images in this series are all longer-range portraits taken at 600mm.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 9815

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 9821

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 9824

The bull elk known as Charger stands for a portrait near Norris Junction at sunset.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 9835

Charger strikes a majestic pose in the southern end of the large meadow at sunset.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 9845

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 9846

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 9848

Three closer shots taken at 300mm while Charger looks at and bugles to his harem at sunset.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 9855

Charger strides across his meadow at sunset in this close portrait taken at 300mm.

Elk at Sunset Norris Junction 9863

A 300mm close portrait of Charger taken in the last rays of beautiful golden light at sunset.

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Charger: a Bull Elk Elk of Mammoth Hot Springs Miscellaneous Elk

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