• animals,  National Parks,  Rocky Mountain National Park

    Butt Shots

    Seems that about 50% of my elk photos I’ve taken are butt shots. They are usually more interested in grazing than posing. However, I do understand.

    Elk eat green grasses and forbs during the growing season. They need these to achieve a nutritional level that allows them to grow and develop well. When elk and other ungulates eat shrubs, they typically select the tips of branches which comprise the current year’s growth and offer the most nutrients. It is estimated that Elk eat an average of 3 pounds of food per day for every 100 pounds of body weight; therefore, a bull elk weighing 800 pounds would eat about 24 pounds of forage each day. As you can tell in this image they are interested in the new spring grasses. So, here is my butt shot for this spring!