It’s that time of year when bull elk show their scars from this past autumn and winter. Broken antlers and skin abrasions are a couple signs of the rough season.

As I was leaving the house yesterday to pick my daughter up from school, I felt the urge to take my camera with me. I don’t typically have my camera when I get the kids from school, but for some reason I felt the need to have it. We had a single bull elk walk behind our house earlier in the day, which might be what made me think about taking my camera.

Regardless of the reason, I’m glad that I had it. And since I left a little earlier than usual, I was able to stop and takes some photos of this herd. Several bulls were hanging out beside the road, and I was able to grab some photos.

One thought that crossed my mind as I watched them was that these guys, only a few months ago, were fighting against each other. Their battle wounds were no doubt inflicted by each other. With the rut months behind them, they now hang out together. In the months ahead, they will begin to separate themselves and see each other as rivals. And the survivors will do it all over again.