The boys of fall

                  The end off summer is not marked by falling leaves or the return of college football to the TV in our part of the world. On the banks of the North Platte River here in Garden County, Nebraska, we know fall is coming by the bugle of bull elk chasing their harem up and down the river bottom. From the first light of the morning in late September to about the middle of October, loud screams of bugling bulls, and gentle squeaks of cows can be heard in the early morning and twilight hours.

                  There is something special about watching bull elk during the rut. Their focus is more on the girls than of the human predators that also call this place home, and it makes for some great sightings of bulls that otherwise hide out in the corn fields or deep brush that fills the river bottoms. Bulls shine their antlers on the bark of cedar trees, and the bigger ones run off young bulls trying to capture the eyes of some of the cows in the herd. The old bulls keep their cows herded up tightly together, and let the world know they are the boss with grunts, snorts and rattling of their antlers.

                  A few years ago I witnessed one of the neatest things I have ever seen. While on my way to check water, I saw a whitetail deer running for all he was worth from the cover of the trees in the river bottom. Thinking that there might be a cat or some other predator chasing him, I stopped to watch for a moment. Not 30 yards behind that buck deer came a very large and very angry bull elk charging after the buck with his head low and antlers pointed forward. That bull was proving that he was king of the woods that day, and that buck was lucky to make it out with his hide!

                  Growing up in eastern Colorado, we would occasionally get an elk, a moose, or even a bear that had wandered down out of the mountains. I was always mesmerized by the creatures, especially elk. I was amazed by how fast they could move, and how barbed wire fences were merely hurdles to them. Living where I can hear them in the mornings, or catch a sight of them while I’m out doing my chores is a real treat for me. I know that elk in our area can be a real problem for some of my corn farming neighbors. They love to bed down in the deepest parts of the field, tromp out big nests to lay on, and never seem to bed down in the same place twice.

                  We take for granted that elk have always been an animal that called the mountains home, when in fact they were a plains animal. By nature they like seclusion and cover to hide from predators. They truly are awesome creatures. Whether you are a hunter, an outdoorsman, a lover of nature or just someone who appreciates animals, there’s no doubt that the bugle of a bull elk will get the hair standing up on the back of your neck, and the heart beating in your chest.

                  That’s all for this time, enjoy these cooler mornings, and may you be blessed enough to hear the boys of fall gathering up their girls for the day. Keep tabs on your side of the barbed wire and God bless.

Meinzer is a fourth-generation rancher raised on the southeastern plains of Colorado. He and his family live and ranch in Oshkosh, Neb.