On thin ice....

My dad and I drove to Clam Lake Wisconsin looking for elk a couple of weeks ago. We headed right to a likely spot where we had seen elk in the past and... 

we actually found some elk!

 

 

 

It was a group of seven or eight cows and calves browsing on plants in the forest.

 

 

 

And grazing on dried out grass.

 

 

 

The sun came out for just a bit as one of the calves stopped eating long enough to see what we were doing.

 

 

 

After making a few images, the sun went back behind the clouds and we went looking for other subjects to photograph.

 

 

 

At a boat launch on Day Lake we walked out to this view of clouds, shadows and snow.

 

 

 

Clouds can make all the difference.

 

 

 

 

 

I kept working the angles with sky, trees, shadows, and clouds in order to find pleasing compositions.

 

 

 

The warm light of the setting sun lit the poplar trees to the east.

 

 

 

The view to the west as the sun dropped below the horizon.

 

We had seen fresh elk tracks crossing the road on the way to the lake and went back to try and find the elk who made them.

 

 

 

Our luck held, as we found a group of seven more elk including three young bulls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sun again slipped behind the trees and I lost the light for good pictures so we headed for a different spot on Day Lake.

 

I had been trying to make decent images from this particular spot for years without any luck. With a few clouds in the sky and the sun sinking low from our new vantage point I thought I might have a chance.

 

The lake was iced over and if I hurried I might be able to make some useful images before the sun disappeared completely. My dad stayed in the car and I jumped out with a camera, an extra lens, and a tripod.

 

 

I had to walk about a quarter mile in order to use the tamarack and spruce trees as a foreground to the evening sky. The clouds had mostly disappeared and the color was disappointing, but I tried to do something with what was there.

 

 

 

As I was walking out there I realized that I didn't actually know how thick the ice was and it had snowed the day before covering the ice surface.

 

I slowed down and started to pay attention. I came upon a beaver lodge and could see the snow was wet around it. I stopped and backtracked and looked for a safer route.

 

 

 



So far, so good. So I kept shooting and moving and trying to compose some pleasing images. None of it was working very well and I was starting to feel frustrated.

 

I took a few breaths, took these last couple of images,

 

 

 

 

 

and then put my camera in it's case, hung it on my shoulder, shortened the tripod legs and stood there.  I decided to enjoy the moment rather than struggle for images that weren't there. It was 18 degrees, the sun had just dropped below the horizon, and it was a good day.

 

After a couple of calm, beautiful minutes, I took a step back to take in the scene, and KAWAAK!! I heard that sound or something like it as the bottom went out from under my feet. 

 

Instinctively, I grabbed my camera case and lifted it as I launched myself backwards. I didn't actually know what had happened until I was putting both hands on the ice behind me and pushing myself out of the water and back onto the ice. My left leg was soaked past my waist but my right leg was mostly dry.  The ice I was now standing on held as I stood and took stock of my situation.

 

My camera case was mostly dry and I had zipped the zipper all the way shut so I was good there. The lens in my right side coat pocket seemed dry and undamaged, and my tripod was covered in ice but still in my hand.

 

Where I had fallen through must have been only about waist deep and it seems I successfully pushed off the bottom with my left foot as I threw myself back when the ice had given out. All things considered I was in great shape. I only had a quarter of a mile to get back to the car and there would be a heater waiting for me when I got there.

 

I took a look around and found a seemingly safe path back toward the road.  As I got to a stretch of open ice between me and the car I thought about how stupid it had been for me to assume the ice was good on the way out.

 

I walked slowly and thought happy thoughts about how light I was as I made it across that ice to the car.

 

I put my stuff in the back and my icy tripod in the trunk, got in shotgun and asked my dad to crank the heat. I told him what happened, felt lucky how it all turned out and looked forward to a hot shower when I got home.

 

 

Out for Elk

My dad and I headed back to the Clam Lake area hoping to see more of Wisconsin's herd of wild elk.

On the drive down I noticed an adult bald eagle perched low in a tree at the edge of a farmers field. I scanned the area for a carcass or some other reason for the bird to be there. About fifty yards away standing in a puddle in the worked farm field was another almost adult bald eagle taking a mud bath. Here the bird is taking flight. You can see that its head and tail feathers are almost colored brown from bathing in the muddy water.

Well, I thought, that bodes well for the rest of the trip.

And it did. Once we got to Clam Lake we quickly found a group of five cows in a meadow near the road. This calf born last year walked off into the forest.

I didn't get many photos of the elk, but was glad to see them. For all of my trips to the Clam Lake area I have only seen elk 30% - 50% of the time.

We drove a little more and found a group of six cows and calves grazing and browsing the edge of a pine forest. Many of the elk were wearing ear tags and radio collars as they are intensively monitored and studied as part of the state's reintroduction efforts.

 After awhile the group of elk worked their way into the woods and we left to see what else we could find.

It was only about fifty degrees outside, so I was pleasantly surprised when I found this common garter snake laying on some leaves near a log in a pine forest.

The snake had been basking in the sun on a southwestern exposed hillside.

I was able to make a few close up images before the snake went on its way.

It really was turning into a lucky day for critters. As we drove the roads looking for more animals I mentioned to my dad how I'd like to see a porcupine. Within ten minutes.....

This guy showed up crossing the road in front of us and then climbed a poplar tree. I wasn't able to get the photos I hoped for, but it was great to see him. And on request even.

The light was fading as we started to leave the Clam Lake area. On our way out we watched six bull elk walk out of a forest and into a meadow at the edge of the road. One bull had lost his antlers and had started growing new ones, the other five were spike bulls who had yet to shed their antlers.

In all we saw 24 elk, six of which were bulls, one garter snake, one porcupine, many wild turkeys, several white-tailed deer, and three bald eagles. It was a pretty good afternoon.

Fall elk in Wisconsin



A medium sized bull elk pauses before crossing the road.



I didn't expect to get the chance to photograph Wisconsin elk this fall, so I was happily surprised to find myself in Clam Lake for part of three days last week.

 

The fall color was already past peak as seen in these morning reflections. 


  





   


   






   





A spike bull browses at the edge of the forest.







 
   


 
  








A family of wild turkeys heads for the woods after feeding near the roadside.



A bull elk walks across highway 77 on an October morning.





 

Golden oak leaves are back lit in a forest opening.





An immature red-tailed hawk watches for a possible meal from its perch.

  

The weather was warm and clear. It got as hot as 85 degrees one of the days I was there. I saw only eleven elk, five bulls and six cows and calves. I also saw several bald eagles, a few red-tailed hawks, and a coyote.

Photographing elk in Wisconsin is nothing like it is out west. There are only about 180 animals in the state and they behave very differently than their western counterparts. The Wisconsin elk seem content to hide out in the sheltering forests of the Clam Lake area. They have all of the food and water they need right there in the woods and don't seem to seek out meadows or other openings to gather harems in the fall.

In Wisconsin it seems to be a matter of catching the elk grazing along the roadside or in the act of crossing the road in order to get decent photos of them. Even so, with some patience, persistence, and a little luck Wisconsin elk can be fun.

Fall elk

A beautiful bull elk a few miles from Clam Lake Wisconsin.

This small bull elk is checking behind it as another bull bugles in the distance.

I located this elk calf and cow wearing a radio collar near the edge of a logging clear cut.  I found them here twice over the course of three days.

This bull elk was staying near the cow and calf.

This is another photo of the best bull I was able to photograph this fall. The bull came out near the road to gather one of the cows from his harem. The cow had walked across the highway to the other side. The bull came up to the edge of the road and waited until the cow came back to his side and rejoined four other cows in his harem.

Here's a glimpse of a little fall color seen from one of the forest roads near Clam Lake.  I made several trips to the area to see, hear, and photograph elk during the rut with some success. 

I learned that Wisconsin elk have very different habits than the elk in Wyoming and Alberta.  Out west the elk seem to gravitate towards open meadows during the fall rut.  The Wisconsin elk seem quite content to stay in the woods and it wasn't easy to find them out in the open during daylight hours.  

It may be that there are so few elk in the area (only 140 or so) that the entire rut dynamic is differerent.  The bull I found with the collared cow and calf seemed quite content to quietly wait nearby for the cow to come into estrus.  He never bugled and didn't seem to want to draw any attention to himself.  I'm not sure if that is normal operating procedure for these Wisconsin bulls or if this bull was mute due to his relatively small size.  Either way, it was lots of fun spending time with wild elk in Wisconsin during the rut.

Wild Wisconsin Elk!

This beautiful wild bull elk wearing a radio collar is part of the Clam Lake elk herd located in the Chequamegon - Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin. Historically elk were found throughout the state of Wisconsin, but by the turn of the twentieth century they had been completely extirpated due to over hunting. After an absence of almost 100 years in 1995 25 elk were reintroduced to the Wisconsin wilds.

This original herd of 25 elk has now grown to an estimated 144 animals and that is not counting the soon to be born calves of this year. All and all it's quite a success story and great to have elk back in Wisconsin.

Two bull elk in April of 2009.



Although this small bull elk was photographed in late April it had yet to drop it's antlers.



The young bull didn't seem the least bit camera shy.



It is important for motorists to pay attention while driving in the Clam Lake area. Street signs with yellow caution lights have been placed along several miles of highway 77 to warn drivers and protect the elk.

Over the years I have enjoyed photographing elk many times in the western United States and Canada, but it sure is nice to be able to spend time with these magnificent animals right here in Wisconsin.

If you have the chance to go to the Clam Lake area I hope that you see some Wisconsin elk. As with all wildlife viewing, there are no guarantees, but I've seen elk about 33% of the time this year. If you go, good luck and enjoy the elk.