The Boogie-Woogie Bugler of Cataloochee

Steven and I love going to Cataloochee Valley in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. The road going in is a white-knuckle gravel road with many tight curves and narrow passages. As various size vehicles navigate passing each other, one side of the car feels like it is hanging onto the very edge of the mountain, while the other is pressed close to the sharp mountain side. As difficult as the road is to navigate, there are several things I find compelling about this pastoral valley that make the trip worth it.

Anytime the area is open, it is a beautiful place to visit, but autumn is spectacular. There are several well-preserved farm homes and barns that are fun to explore. My favorite, however, are the elk that reside in this valley.

Generally, the elk come out of woods to feed in the fields early in the morning and late in the afternoon. The thing is, you never really know where they are going to exit the woods or in which fields they will graze. Once, we experienced them coming from behind where our car was parked, to walk right by us. Surprise!

For me, the best time to see and photograph the elk is in the fall during mating season. During this time, males display aggressive behavior toward other males and are very attentive to the females. Sometimes you get to see the males going head-to-head for dominance and it is very common to see the big bull elk trying to win the favor of the females in his herd. The picture above, taken near the middle of October, is a bull elk bugling to the females to get their attention. As you can see, they are completely unimpressed.

There are regulations concerning getting near wildlife. For their safety, and yours, you cannot get within 150 feet, and you cannot be in the fields when they are there. Elk, like bears, are both big and dangerous. Steven and I have seen some monumentally irresponsible behavior from people trying to get a “cool” selfie or picture near the elk.

This picture was taken with a long-range lens, and I was nowhere near to this big lovestruck guy.