Yesterday I went up into the mountains for some photography and snowshoeing. The weather wasn't very good for taking pictures, but all in all it was a fun day of snowshoeing and finding a lot of wildlife.

As I said, the weather wasn't really cooperating. It was around 0 degrees with blowing/snowing skies. A little too dark for good photography, so these aren't as good as some of my other wildlife photos. BUT, if you aren't out there, you won't get any photos at all

Here is a view of the valley where most of the photos were taken. Snow was anywhere from 1 foot to 4 feet deep.




My parking area, getting into my snowshoes.




On to the wildlife. I found a herd of elk grazing down in the valley. There were over 100 elk in this herd. A few pretty big bull elk as well. A couple of them would occasionally spar with eachother.







Here are a couple of cows Elk Boxing.




Further along, up in the trees, there were a few bull elk bedding down. I was about 40-50 feet from this one.


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Some deer I spooked up in the trees.




And a lone bighorn. I didn't get a good picture, because once I got near him, he started up the mountain side.




All in all it was a nice (but COLD) day in the mountains.

[ivoire]

Like the entire series. What were you shooting with?

[Colorado CJ]

Thanks! I was using my Pentax K-x. The lenses used were the Sigma 28mm F2.8 Mini Wide and Sigma 70-300 APO DG.

I'd REALLY like the get a weather sealed K-5 and some good DA series lenses. I shoot in some pretty inclimate weather and a weather proof setup would be ideal. Not enough money for a K-5 though, let alone the expensive glass.

[ivoire]

Just shows that equipment isn't all there is to photography and being in the right place at the right time and an eye for the shot makes the diff. Don't know if you are a photoshop/post processing type, but I can see some cool black n white conversions with snow effects added coming out of these.

[normhead]

Those are awesome shots.. thanks for posting. We can snow shoe around here but I can't think of a place I could see wildlife like that. The K-x and sigma 70-300 are a nice light combination. That's what my wife carries when I'm carrying my K20D and DA* 60-250. I have to say, my stuff may be "better" but if it's home because I didn't want to carry it snow shoeing I don't know how that helps. We are probably a good month form good snow shoeing weather. I can hardly wait to get out, thanks for the preview.

[Colorado CJ]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate it. Had a lot of fun taking these photos.

[vonBaloney]

Where exactly was that (in Colorado)?

[Colorado CJ]

Rocky Mountain National Park, about 30 minutes up the canyon of where I live.

[Bob Harris]

CJ, great series, I really enjoyed the view from the comfort of the motorhome. Talked to our daughter who lives in the Rockies, 8000', above Larkspur and she is snowed in pretty well and the dirt road down is too dangerous to drive right now. Stay warm, I see it is getting colder up there tonight.

[Colorado CJ]

Thanks, appreciate it Bob. I live down in Loveland, so its rare to get snowed in down here, you definitely can be in the mountains though.

If you have plenty to eat, being snowed in can be fun, at least you have an excuse to miss work

[forensicscientist]

Great shots....I visit Fairplay every summer...but haven't had the opportunity to see the area in winter....nice shots.

Thanks.....

[wingman]

Awesome!! Really great shot. Thanks for posting. Ienjoyed the series.

[tessfully]

These are just incredible. You must have been over the moon watching the Elk's antics. Beautiful photos and I kind of like the muted colours given the subjects are all so magnificent.

[Colorado CJ]

Great shots....I visit Fairplay every summer...but haven't had the opportunity to see the area in winter....nice shots.

Thanks.....

Do you do any prospecting? The Fairplay area has quite a bit of placer gold in all the local rivers and creeks. Prospecting is one of my other hobbies, once the snow melts I'm in the mountain streams looking for the shiny stuff.

Here's a days take with a small river sluice at an area my dad and I are looking to claim this next spring

[Colorado CJ]

Thanks wingman an tessfully, Yeah, it is always fun watching the elk. I took about an hour slowly getting closer and crouching behind boulders, waiting for them to become used to me. You have to be patient and watch the herd. If any of the elk start moving away, you have to crouch down and wait for them to settle. Then start again. This was a large herd and I got to within about 100 feet of the center of the herd with them being somewhat of a horseshoe shape around me.

If you spook even a couple and they start to move out, the herd mentality takes over and they all will start moving away. You are then pretty much out of luck if you don't want to wait for a while and start all over.

When I was younger there were large herds of deer that used to bed down in front of my old house at night. Sometimes, if I was careful. I could slowly make my way into the herd until I was able to physically reach out and touch a deer if I wanted to. They are naturally curious, and would surround and nuzzle me when I was squatted down among them.

It probably sounds corny, but I have a real passion for the outdoors and nature. Since getting my first DSLR last year, I'm drawn even more to nature and spending as much time as I can out in the wilds.