Calling In Elked

*Critters we’ve seen on our 2012 trip so far: prairie dog, bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mule deer, llama, white tail deer, elk, grizzly, coyote, badger, Uinta ground squirrel, black bear, yellow-bellied marmot, wolf
*Birds we’ve seen on our 2012 trip so far: Western meadowlark, magpie, wild turkey, killdeer, osprey, red-naped sapsucker, sandhill crane, bald eagle
*National Parks/Monuments visited on 2012 trip so far: 2

On mornings we work, I get up early to feed Abby and take her out to do her business. One morning last week the taking out part was delayed by about half an hour because 4 elk were camped right outside the door! The rest of the herd was out in the meadow, but three were busy munching and one was resting comfortably amidst the brush at our site. I opened the door a couple of times hoping that either the noise from the opening or closing it would spook them enough to move on but no luck. They were making themselves quite at home and didn’t seem to have any intention of moving any time soon. We were afraid we were going to have to call in elked! (You know, kind of like calling in sick). Guess they finally got bored with the spot and decided to move on joining the rest of the herd.

Last night there were about 40 – 50 elk around the campground with a few attempting to make their way through the sites. Part of our job is to make sure the campers stay the appropriate distance away from the wildlife. One cow elk was particularly interested in one guy’s dog and another was very interested in tasting a family’s corn on the cob! We finally had to call law enforcement to come help with the situation as we are not trained in hazing the elk to make them go away, and the people don’t always listen to us. Made for an interesting evening.

The 4th of July potluck was held at Indian Creek Campground starting about 3pm. Unfortunately Richard and Jean had to work so couldn’t attend, but Steve, Holli, Russ, and I represented the Mammoth Campground. We decided to take deviled eggs and 4 slabs of BBQ ribs, and let me tell you those ribs were a huge hit…they were the first thing to run out! The potlucks are held at Site 1 which is right in front of the office so it’s easy for whoever is working to still enjoy the festivities. Ranger Joe wasn’t scheduled to start work till early evening so he and his family joined in as did Ranger Chris a little later before her shift started. There was still plenty of food left for her to enjoy though she did miss out on the ribs. We took Abby with us, and once she got over her initial excitement, she was a very good girl. We had her tied to a nearby log, but I’m sure she would have rather been sitting right in the mix of people. The hosts from Norris and a couple maintenance people also attended, and we ended up staying for several hours enjoying the camaraderie, good food, and beautiful weather.









Yellowstone Tidbits:
*Bull elk shed their antlers each spring with new growth beginning soon after. During the last couple months of antler growth, mature bulls antlers will grow 2/3 of an inch each day. The antlers can be just under 6 ft. wide and weigh about 30 lbs. per pair.
*Bison can reach food beneath 3 ft. of snow.
*Yellowstone Lake is the largest lake above 7,000 ft. in North America.