Autumn Night Sounds

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Our Autumn night sounds are a bit unusual.

We live in the mountains of Arizona next to the Tonto National Forest.  In fact, our bedroom is 10 feet from the fence of the forest!

The forest has thousands of stunning and massive elk.  The herd that lives around us is about 400 strong.  This one is real.  A young bull with spikes.

Here’s a statue we have in our front yard.  If you find yourself ever needing to paint an elk statue here’s a how to paint an elk in 2 hours tutorial.

Here’s a youngster.

I didn’t get a good picture of this one because she’s standing on our bridge.  I was afraid she would try to run and fall.  Oh, they think if their head is behind a tree they’re completely hidden.

Young female.

These two were walking up our street.  The youngster was frightened when I walked onto the front porch and ran back to mama, dropping to it’s knees and started to nurse.  Awww!

Starting around the middle of September through October it’s rut season.  That’s their reproductive time and the bull {male} bugles to collect cows {females} and intimate other bulls.

This short video shows two young bulls {spikes} fighting.

I took this video while sitting on our back porch.  The bull was laying under the tree and as he stood up and turned to the females near by I knew he would bugle.  Homer, our German Shepherd was upset I was out on the porch with the elk so close.  You can hear him barking too!

During the evening in rut season this bugling goes on throughout the night.  At times every fifteen minutes. So if I’m seem a bit sleepy…Yawn…that’s why.

Just like getting used to trucks, sirens and other city sounds you get lulled to sleep with the sounds of bugles, eventually!

Guests however…well let’s just say they don’t get much sleep during rut season. 😀

What sounds keep you up at night?