High in the hills of North Central Pennsylvania, a northern section of the Watershed, a primal ritual begins to take place.  As the cool mountain air signals the color shift of autumn foliage and fog engulfs the valley, a haunting call echos th
The bugle of the Bull Elk may still be heard in this part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  Reintroduced in 1913, these Elk are actually of the Rocky Mountain Subspecies, but are wild and free.  At one time the watershed was home to other
Not analogous to the bay, but found within the northern part of the watershed, the Quaking Aspen is a tree more commonly associated with the Rocky Mountain West.  Though in the this section of the Alleghenies they can be seen regularly within i
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The bull sounds off to a challenger who approaches his harem.  While seeing Elk in the Rocky Mountain West is always exciting with the granite spheres and numerous game species, there is a quality to seeing the rut from within the fog of the Ap
The old growth forests are filled with Eastern Hemlock, hickory, oak, cherry, birch, and aspen trees.  The forest is floored with ferns.  There is a Thoreau-like quality to this land.  It is peaceful.  Unless you are chased by a
The same bull that was calm amongst passers in August may chase you through the forest in September and October.  While Black Bear, Coyotes, and Bobcats make their home in these forest it is the Bull Elk that rules this land.  They are the
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When the bulls collide the meadow is filled with a cacophony of antler scraping and interlocking.  It is an awesome sight to behold.  Augmented by the bugle, the natural soundscapes to these battles creates a sensory overload filled with d
The winner of these epic collisions is granted the right to pass on its genes to the harem.  In some cases the battles are so violent that rival males are gored to death; succumbing to their wounds and leaving only the strongest bulls to breed.
Some bulls, however, may be more clever than brutal.  Absconding through the forest this bull mates with a cow from another male's harem. 
My favorite sounds in nature are the howl of the wolf, the call of the loon, and the bugle of the elk.  All three sounds are beautiful in their memorable, haunting crescendo.  My friend who introduced me to the Elk warned me that once you
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