This post features cows and calves from both the Oconoluftee and Cataloochee Valley herds in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The photos were taken in September and October when most of the calves had lost their spots. In the late evening the Oconoluftee herd often invades the Mountain Farm Exhibit at the Oconoluftee Visitor Center.
Elk in the Oconoluftee Valley, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina
Elk in Cataloochee Valley, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina
On a frosty, October morning, these two young bulls grazed side-by-side. They were in sight, but well away from the older bull and the cows and calves in the older animal’s herd. Like “teenagers” of other species, often they palled around. At other times they fought. These were apparently mock battles, preparing, I think, for the time when they would challenge the older bulls.
