elk. i had never seen elk in the wild before, real fat quadrupeds. these guys seemed super healthy and were feeding on the patches of grass at the side of the road that were exposed by the salt. this series of photos was taken near waskesiu, sk., in prince albert national park. the elk were pretty unfazed by humans; well protected within the borders of the national park they had no regard for the potential threat humans represent. the experience was so different from hunting, and being in a place where animals consider humans to be predators or threatening. it felt surreal to walk with them.

example:
when i first saw the elk i stopped my car about 200m from where they stood. i got out and crept towards them trying not to startle them and trying to get a decent shot or two off before they ran away. as i approached the elk a car caught my ear and started rolling up from the direction i had come. the car drove right up to me and past the elk. the elk didn't even move. i quickly realized it would be easier than i had anticipated to shoot these photos.

top) taken as the light was leaving us. this guy stood lonely in a section of forest that had been recently logged.

second from top) i really liked trying to get different legs and parts of the elk into one shot, showing how they move and hold themselves. their necks and posture was typical of a deer, moose or caribou, but it kinda reminded me of a camel with a slightly longer, more curved neck.

middle) no face, no problem. one other sense that you can't get from the pictures is the sound that this heard of elk made as it traveled through the bush. branches slowly breaking and cracking popped to my attention and continuously took my focus off of the elk i was trying to capture.

second from bottom) this gals name was magdalene. she didn't trust me.

bottom) magdalene.