Music and Mating

Edited by Jennifer L. Price

Like certain male rock stars, bull elk use the power of their voices to attract interested females. The elk concerts, at their peak in the fall, send strange high-pitched cries resonating through Yellowstone National Park,  punctuated with the occasional percussion riff of massive antlers clashing. 

For the elk, intent on rounding up and protecting their harems from interlopers, danger lurks not just in the form of bigger bulls with better pipes, but also from the bears and wolves hunting in preparation for winter in the Lamar and Hayden Valleys.  The whole scene provides an optimal opportunity for thrilling firsthand nature experiences amidst the glory of autumn colors.

Wildlife Expeditions’ two-, three- and four-day “Elk Bugling, Wolves and Bears in Fall” safaris take participants through Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone’s rich Lamar Valley – sometimes called America’s Serengeti – to prime elk, bear and wolf viewing sites. The trip includes lunch-with-a-view at Old Faithful, twilight and early-morning predator/prey interactions, and a tour of the Hayden Valley grizzly habitat, and may include a stop at the colorful Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and a scenic shoreline drive along Yellowstone Lake.  

Trips are offered September 13-15, 17-18, 20-22, and 27-29, and October 11-14, and are limited to eight participants per biologist.  Rates start at $650 per adult and $495 per child for the two-day tour, double occupancy, and include the expertise of a biologist/guide, hotel accommodations, meals, snacks and beverages, all gratuities, round-trip transportation from Jackson in a custom safari-style vehicle, use of premium optics and park entrance fee.  Rusty Parrot Lodge and Spa in Jackson runs a package with separate pricing on additional specific dates from September 23 – October 10.  For more information on the Rusty Parrot packages, visit www.rustyparrot.com or call 800.458.2004.  

For more information on Wildlife Expeditions, a division of the nonprofit Teton Science Schools in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, visit www.wildlifeexpeditions.org .