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The others went back after another Coyote and completely missed this big guy across the field. Its amazing how these animals use their head in a side to side movement to push the snow out of the way to get to the grasses. These are very large animals with a standing height of well over 5 feet and nearly as wide and quite agile and quick. Do not get near them during the rut or get in front of them. Yellowstone Park Service has a video of a photographer who got too close and was charged and thrown up in the air. The Park Service uses that video as a gudie to not get too close (75 feet).
Tags: bison yellowstone winter wildlife nationalparks animals
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I was hoping to find this image somewhere. I had in my mind several key images that I wanted to find and capture while in Yellowstone. I had captured all but 2 images, so I consider myself very fortunate. I had shot around 10,000 images in 12 days of shooting out west in the winter.
Tags: yellowstone winter nationalparks animals
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This series of this female Coyote and later in the late afternoon, Some Bull Elk and American Bison during a hard snow was possible only due to the fact that our snowcoach broke down on its way to pick us up early that morning. The owner finally made it about 9:30 with a coach he made up of parts and pieces, but when he pulled in to pick up up the front wheel bearing was sizzling hot. So I guess if was our fortune and not miss -fortune for the day. We had hoped to get into Haden Valley where several wolf packs were seen feeding on a fresh elk kill.
Tags: nationalparks animals winter Yellowstone
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We had approximately 10 really big Bull Elk to photograph along the road leading out to Lamar Valley in Yellowstone and all of them where pretty much in one area of the park and some were grouped together 4 to 6 in a herd.
I'm told that this count is considerabally down from previous years. This was probably the same Bull we had seen the very first afternoon when we arrived and the only day it didn't snow the entire trip. The snow here was blowing pretty strong and was piling up on the ole boy.
To see more of the Yellowstone images made on this trip click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/jmwnaturesimages/albums/72157600003...
BTW, if you like a bit of humor of the things that have happened to me over the years on some of my photo adventures, try reading some of the stories in my Blog. I've just added the last two adventures that happened many years ago. Just waiting for the next humorous adventure to arrive.
I'm sure there must have been a couple of events that happened out of the ordinarily while some other photo adventures, but trying to remember back. 15 years now is a real task. But when I do I will write them up and post to my Blog.
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www.jmwnaturesimages.blogspot.com
Tags: winter yellowstone nationalparks animals
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I have to admit that I violated my cardinal rule of not approaching wildlife by getting too close. However he approached me.
We were heading out well before dawn one morning when in the car's headlights we saw this big bull bison just lumbering down the middle of the road. I quickly bailed out and went around the back and out next to the road to try and get a head on shot. I started out at 400 mm but had to keep back zooming until I was at 100 mm and he was about 10 feet away for this image. He looked as if he was on a mission as he didn't raise an eye and look at me and believe I would have seen it being that close. It wasn't until just before this shot that I looked over the top of the camera and realized just how close he was to me, but at that point I was not going to chance moving a muscle, unless I needed to jump up on the roof of the car. Thankfully he just kept plodding along right down the center of the road...he owned it!!
I you want to see more of the images made on this trip to Yellowstone NP, go here:
www.flickr.com/photos/jmwnaturesimages/albums/72157600003...
If you ever have the chance to go to this park in the winter, I highly recommend it, but bring a 4WD vehicle. The only road opened at this time of year to general traffic is thru Lamar Valley up to Cook City. We went to lunch there nearly every day. The cherry pie is to die for. As for going into Haden Valley you will need to rent a snowmobile or snow coach and a guide to go there. You can dress for the cold, just keep your batteries inside the first layering of clothing.
As you can see from the exif data that I was pretty much maxed out on camera settings. The 30D doesn't like high ISO and so I had to do some creative PS work to get rid of digital noise.
BTW, if you like a bit of humor of the things that have happened to me over the years on some of my photo adventures, try reading some of the stories in my Blog. I've just added the last two adventures that happened many years ago. Just waiting for the next humorous adventure to arrive.
I'm sure there must have been a couple of events that happened out of the ordinarily while some other photo adventures, but trying to remember back. 15 years now is a real task. But when I do I will write them up and post to my Blog.
www.facebook.com
www.jmwnaturesimages.blogspot.com
Tags: winter yellowstone nationalparks animals bison
© All Rights Reserved