The Myth of Local Elk
I may be new to living in SW Montana, but I wasn’t born yesterday. Almost to a person, everyone in this area has commented on my immediate location with a story similar to “Oh yeah, there are big herds of elk, right on the flanks of Mt. Fleecer (right across the road).” Yet 8 months later, even with a scope, the only animals I have seen on Mt. Fleecer have been cows. Plenty of cows.
Several of my neighbors have mentioned that once the snow pack grows, the herds make their way to lower elevations to graze. So I let the myth of elks continue. Our Winter has been very dry, rather warm, and not enough snow to move the big herd. Or even one elk.
Until today. While minding my own business, I glanced up at Mt. Fleecer today. There were a bunch of spots on the upper portion of the mountain. So I grabbed my spotting scope and much to my surprise there was a huge herd of elk. More than could be counted. Hundreds! Most were grazing; many were just lounging in the sun.
So I hooked my cellphone up to the scope and tried to get a few photos. Not the perfect system for getting great photos, but otherwise, I’d just be another neighbor next to Fleecer, telling a story about the mythical elk herds.
The initial scope view. To see the whole herd, quite a bit of panning was required.
A wider view of part of the herd.
As I scanned around the upper hillsides, it was quickly apparent that there were elk everywhere. While easier to see in the sunny spots, they were all over the nooks and crannies of the terrain.
One portion of the herd started moving North. Pretty soon, they were all on the move.
The herd was located just above the area marked - Fleecer Mountain Wildlife Management Area.