Only the most aggressive and strong males will earn the right to breed the females during the fall mating season. Ranking is often earned by combat between the largest bulls and once won must be defended to the end.

These two bull elk are not large or powerful enough to get there this year, but the mock battles this season will provide experience to win sometime in the future.

An hour after photographing this scene with a 500mm lens, I found the bull on the left resting in the forest and from a safe distance with my long lens, took an image of him again..he had lost an eye during the fight.