We spotted this big 9 X 6 as it was just leaving a meadow going into heavy timber up the side of a mountain. Doing what we do, we crossed the meadow in the pouring rain and started up the side of the mountain trying to locate the bull. When we were about 12,000 feet up the mountain we could hear the bull tearing up trees in the thick terrain. We stayed with the bull for around three hours. After he bedded down we stayed about another 45 minutes, being soaking wet and cold we realized he wasn’t getting up anytime soon. Although we got some great shots and video, I didn’t get the shot I was looking for. Up before daylight the next morning we headed back to where we last saw the bull, luckily we spotted him about a mile from where we left him the day before and were able to get the shot I was looking for, and this is it.
While driving to Red Lodge Montana on Beartooth highway, Julie spotted a group of mountain goats feeding on the side of a mountain. Luckily, we found a very small pull off which is almost nonexistent on that highway. I grabbed my camera and started hiking towards the goats, with Julie following with GoPro in hand. We got set up and started taking pictures while they were feeding on flowers on the mountainside. “This is one of the shots”. They started moving again so we eased along with them where they bedded down on a glacier. We stayed there for hours watching them interact with each other. While watching them we saw the kids play fighting, standing on their mom’s backs pawing at their winter coats with their hooves, then pulling pieces off with their teeth. They would play and then rest, the babies would climb on their mom’s back or snuggle close to them to sleep. We stayed until an ice storm hit the mountain and I didn’t have rain gear for my equipment, so we headed for the truck. I thought the mountain goats had so much character with their winter coats hanging off their bodies. We feel so blessed with all the interactions we got to experience on the trip.
As we headed toward Page, Arizona we spotted a small band of wild horses. Most of them were far out in the field, as I was taking pictures curiosity got the best of these five mustangs. I was able to get this shot as they were checking us out. This was a very brief encounter because we were traveling through and had plans of spending time at other wild horse refuges. Unfortunately, several refuges that we stopped at the roads were washed out, and we were unable to get through. I was very happy with this image that I did get. The thumb nail pictures below are of a past trip to the Pryor Mountains in Montana.
One of our stops was just inside of Washington State coastline. We were told by several people we should go to Cape Disappointment. On our first day there we explored the area and found Waikiki Beach, a small beach area surrounded by cliffs. We got there during high tide, I was absolutely amazed at all the powerful waves colliding and exploding in all different directions, it was like watching a fireworks show. I would have never thought that we would spend three days taking pictures of waves.
This Limited Edition is available in color and black and white. Lip-Curl Bison. During the breeding season, you will often see bison sniffing other females followed by lip curling. This behavior is called the fiehmen response. By curling their lip they are able to transfer the odors to an organ at the roof of their mouth known as the vomeronsel organ, or jacobson’s organ. This helps the male determine whether or not the female is in estrus and ready to bred. This particular bison picture was taken in Yellowstone National Park.
Julie and I took a trip to Silver River State Park in Ocala Florida. While kayaking we located a tribe of Rhesus Monkeys in the trees and on the bank of the river. Watching these monkeys for hours it was amazing how human-like they are. A little research showed these monkeys were brought here in 1938 by a tour boat operator, Colonel Tooey who released just six of these monkeys onto a small island. His motive was to create a park closely resembling the Tarzan Story. He didn’t know these species were excellent swimmers, they escaped the island within minutes of releasing them. Since then they have removed over a thousand but there are still over three hundred remaining.
We consider St Andrews State Park one of the prettiest parks in the State of Florida. Over the years we have spent many hours in the park taking pictures of wildlife and lots of sunset pictures of this pier. It makes for great photos because there are very few wooden piers left. This is one of our favorites.
While traveling through Arizonia we wanted to photograph Antelope Slot Canyon only to find out they were by reservation only. Someone recommended Black Streak Canyon Tours, which is a Navajo Nation-owned and operated business. Our tour guides were Bonnie and her grandson Royal who are indigenous to the area. Bonnie was very knowledgeable about the Slot Canyons and shared a wealth of information about their heritage. The icing on the cake was that we were the only two people for the tour which made it very easy to get the photos I wanted.
While archery hunting in Kansas we drove by this windmill thinking it would make a cool sunset shot. After a fresh snow and a beautiful orange sky, I opted not to hunt so I could capture this shot.