Javin Elliff Photography

September 25, 2025

Elk Rut Adventures

I went on a few trips looking for Roosevelt elk in September. Here are the highlights.

A six point bull elk on the riverbed.
A close portrait of a bull Roosevelt Elk. It looks like he had just walked through some cobwebs as he has various things stuck to his face.
A bull Roosevelt elk poses for a portrait.
A young bull elk eating breakfast in the rainforest.
A mature Roosevelt bull elk in the forest.
This bull was in and out of the dark shadows of the old growth forest.
This bull was bugling his head off just after sunset. I didn't think I could get a good shot with the light fading, but luckily he stood still for this 0.4 second exposure.
A mature Roosevelt bull with a unique set of antlers standing next to a rubbed alder tree.
A Roosevelt bull with a unique set of antlers.
Broadside Bull
A bull Roosevelt elk standing in a meadow.
This bull only grew one eyeguard on each antler, and then broke them both off. One of them was broken off recently as there is still some blood at the break.
This unique bull was with a small herd of cows early in the rut.
A bull Roosevelt elk in the forest.
I wasn't trying to find elk on this hot afternoon, but ran into them on accident. A combination of thermals and a hot lens really affected the sharpness of the photos I got. These are not good enough to print, but it was still a fun encounter.
A bull Roosevelt elk stands alert while partially hidden behind tree branches.
A bull Roosevelt elk with a busted antler tine.
A portrait of a younger mature bull.
Alert Cows
A bull and some cows watch their surroundings.
A young bull elk with a strange set of antlers.

I ran into a few black bears along the way too.

An old black bear with scars on face and a messed up ear gazes at me from a gap in the mountain hemlock.
This black bear was busy inhaling as many berries as possible in the waning days of summer.
A black bear enjoying berries near the end of summer.