---

Wildlife in the Fall (Fall, 1989)
Sights and Sounds of Autumn Birds on the Move Moose: Colorado's Eminently Watchable Wildlife Hunting and Watching Wildlife Fish Do It Too! Keep Your Eyes Peeled

Autumn heralds a dynamic phase in the annual cycle of Colorado's ungulates (hoofed mammals)—the fall rut, or breeding season. Careful wildlife watchers have the opportunity to observe a variety of interesting behaviors as elk, bighorn sheep, whitetail and mule deer, moose, pronghorn antelope, and mountain goats carry out the essential rhythms of mating.

During the rut, male ungulates become hyperactive, belligerent and competitive with other males. Sparring matches using horns and antlers may occur. Other behaviors, like scent marking and shadow boxing with trees, will not likely be observed, but the signs and markings left behind can give intriguing clues regarding the animals that made them.

---

The bugle of the bull elk is truly the music of autumn in Colorado's high country. The rut occurs mid-September to October, though bulls may begin to bugle as early as mid-August and continue through November. Once heard, the haunting call is not easily forgotten. It starts as a low-pitched bellow, rising to a high, clear bugle tone, and ending with a series of grunts.

Bugling advertises the male's readiness to breed, challenges or warns other males, collects single cows, and sometimes just lets off a little emotional steam. Mature bulls gather "harems" of cows; they stay busy driving away competitors and keeping cows together. Occasional battles between males may occur, combatants sparring with their impressive headgear, but most encounters consist mainly of bluff with much noise and display of antlers.

Look for elk in mountain parks and clearings and on open slopes throughout the Colorado mountains. Safe viewing during hunting season can be enjoyed in Genesee Park west of Denver; along the Mt. Evans Highway; Guanella Pass/Geneva Basin between Georgetown and Grant; Rocky Mountain National Park—probably the best year-round viewing in the state, especially the Kawaneche Valley (avoid the crowded Horseshoe Park area).

---

One of the most impressive shows of the fall season is about to begin. For those lucky enough to see it, the "battling rams" offer an unforgettable sight for the wildlife watcher.

During most of the year, bighorn sheep rams live in bachelor groups. But during the rut, from late November through early December, rams join groups of ewes, lambs, and subadults on the rutting grounds. Here the rams battle each other for dominance and carry out the mating ritual with ewes in estrous.

Watching bighorn rams during the breeding season gives the viewer an intriguing glimpse of age-old behavior patterns. The largest horned ram will follow an estrous ewe, trying to keep other rams away from her. There is much jostling, slashing, and butting as rams challenge one another.

Males approach each other with necks extended in a low stretch (A), heads lowered in threat, and may kick at their opponent with a foreleg (B).

Once the challenge is met, rams move apart in a low stretch (C), whirl around and rear slightly (D), then charge toward each other, butting heads with a tremendous force (E).

Watch for bighorn sheep on steep slopes, often at high elevation. They can be viewed safely during hunting season in the lower end of Big Thompson Canyon along Highway 34 west of Loveland; the Fall River entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park and the Horseshoe Park area; Along Highway 14 in Poudre Canyon northwest of Fort Collins; along I-70 at Georgetown; along Highway 285 near Grant; on Pikes Peak; and along Highway 172 west of Buena Vista.

(Illustration is from Mountain Sheep, V. Geist.)

Next: Birds on the Move

(The information contained in these issues of Colorado's Wildlife Company was accurate at the time of original publication. Situations and circumstances described, staff positions, contact information, and dates of some events may have changed in the interim. Present knowledge and understanding of biological and behavioral facts and information may also be different, now, than presented here.)