Elk: Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, September 2024 — On our first day in the park, we stopped in Mammoth Hot Springs early in the morning, long before the sun was high enough to light the Hot Springs terraces, to photograph the herd of Elk that make downtown Mammoth their home. They generally spend the night on the green and the surrounding lawns, and only disperse into the hills and up the terraces as the day gets warmer. This is #24, the dominant bull of the herd, though he is so secure that he tolerates at least 2 other, younger, bulls. There is, however, no doubt about who’s herd, whose harem, it is. Here he is bugling his dominance as he returns from putting one of the younger bulls in his place. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 463mm equivalent, and just about full frame. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.