Grizzly Bear Mum and Her Newborn Cubs - First Sighting
Our First encounter with a special Grizzly Mother and her newborn cubs this year. She is such a patient and well tempered Grizzly sow and we are now lucky enough to witness her with her second set of Cubs over the last several years. It was an exciting day as we were not certain she was okay over the Winter, but clearly she was. Grizzly Bears produce only two or three cubs every three years and their survival rate is unfortunately very low.
Huge Elk Bulls Fight Over the Toughest Elk Rut Territory
These are two of the most dominant Elk Bulls in this area of the Canadian Rockies. While the Older Bull is a little Larger and more experienced, the slightly Younger Bull has been pressing for dominance here for the last couple of weeks. These two huge Elk Bulls have had several short fights and have bugled back and forth almost constantly in between territory battles. While we don't know if this will be their last fight, it will likely remain one of the most Epic Elk Bull battles we have ever seen. The very rocky terrain under the river water is likely what caused the battle to end as neither of these two evenly matched Giants seemed to want to concede. You can also hear a younger bull near us overlooking the fight and bugling his incredible bugle several times.
Bighorn Sheep Rut - Canada's Angry Ram Mating Dance
Bighorn Rams Fighting for Mating rights During the Bighorn Sheep Rut. The larger Bighorns with superior genetics are able to battle like this for quite a long time during the bighorn sheep mating season. Several larger Rams are seen here battling for the right to mate on this day.
Huge Bull Moose Courting Cow During the Rut
We were lucky to witness this huge bull courting a receptive cow during the Moose Rut. The active peak of rutting season for moose is generally the first two weeks of October. Farther North in the hemisphere is earlier as South is a bit later. Moose bulls may court cows for several days during their mating season. The largest and heaviest of the Deer family can often be seen in groups during this time, with both Bulls and Cows potentially competing for mates. Moose Bulls will chase off or even fight rivals for mating rights, while cows that occupy the same area may also chase each other away from a favorite bull moose. You can hear some vocalizations between the bull and cow along with seeing some very rare behavior in these gentle giants.
Biggest Mountain Goat Master Seen So Far
The Biggest Mountain Master seen so far this Year; Rocky Mountain goats are the largest mammals found in their high-altitude habitats, which can exceed elevations of 13,000 ft (4,000 m). Here is a small group of Males still carrying their full Winter coats.