Wild Wonderment

Most of the Elk viewing occurs on Arkansas Hwy 43 in Boxley Valley

Sometime before 1840 the native elk in Arkansas went extinct, but in 1981 elk were reintroduced into the wild in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas.

On a chilly March morning after a few days of rain I made my way to the Upper Buffalo Wilderness of Arkansas. I was eager to photograph a few of the many waterfalls in the state; however, one of the wonderful things about photography and exploring the outdoors in general is that you never know what nature may present to you. In this case it was a herd of nearly 70 Elk in the fields of Boxley Valley. At that moment my plans went out the window and I spent the morning photographing these incredible animals. The highlight shown here was seeing this precious interaction between a spike yearling and majestic bull.