Arkansas Wildlife Blog and Gallery v2.0 (huh?)
Visual and Verbal Meanderings in Buffalo National River and NW Arkansas
Spring Viewing Season --
Antlers Dropped
Overview
See revised map right. Red dates equal
herd locations. Zones in pale yellow.
Want Prints? My Online Store
Elk Rut Videos
Brand New Herd Location Map plus new
mobile website (below). Each month I
post a new map so it will not become too
crowded. Current locations in large type.
Each map will contain the dates and
locations of elk during my visit to the valley.
Elk may move day-to-day, but often they
do not, or move very little. Use this map as
a pretty good guide of where to look for elk.
Always check the whole valley regardless.
New Mobile Elk Website
Visit http://arkansaselk.mobi for phones
and mobile devices. Updated maps, tips.
Elk Photography
I will report on the elk every few days
during the rut, more frequently now during
buildup to the rut.
Safety First
Be safe. Pull off the road as far as possible
and do not block driveways and field
entrances. Some people pride themselves
in attempts to set land speed records in
Boxley Valley. Drive slowly, people,
especially kids, often dart around in
viewing areas. Read these viewing safety
tips. Also read these driving safety tips.
There is no reason to be careless.
Remember to respect private property.
The entire viewing area is private property
and you should show respect.
Mapped Gallery of Boxley
and Upper River Area
Thanks to the geniuses at Google, I have
uploaded a hundred of my images and
geo-located them in the actual shooting
This is very cool, and integrated with all
types of Google Maps including satellite
photos, topo, and street maps. Great
resource in planning your visits and better
understanding where photos are taken.
Totally interactive, totally cool, totally free.
My Other Websites
Email:
Arkansas Photographers
Key Local Contacts:
Ponca Elk Education Center
870-861-2432
Lost Valley Canoe, Ponca
(870) 861-5522
National Park Service, BNR HQ
(870) 439-2502 (Harrison, AR)
Before I forget. This website is all copyrighted material by Michael Dougherty, Compton, Arkansas. Don't steal the images or written content. Those are the rules. I am
real hard nosed about these things. Educators and nonprofits, please ask permission. I check websites for stolen material. I will sue for flagrant theft.
Speed kills in Boxley Valley. Roadside elk
bolt unpredictably. Slow down to 45, enjoy
the view. Protect your life and theirs, do
the right thing.
The spike bulls (right) bolted in front of a
red van that saw them, but did not slow
down. I thought I would be photographing
an accident.
Remember elk are huge. Remember also
that Boxley Valley has many blind curves
and rises in the road. Going slow will only
cost you a couple of minutes, it could
save your life.
Free E-Post Cards New and growing collection from elk and swan pictures of Buffalo National River and Boxley Valley.
Photography is not about cameras, gadgets and gismos. Photography is about photographers. A camera didn't make a great picture any more than a typewriter wrote a great novel.
Peter Adams
Peter Adams
Boxley Stud 9x8 Bull Post Rut
This is the first of many post-rut pictures I will get. Photographers who want to get great bull photos will find the the post-rut is probably better than the rut for wall-hangers.
This was taken December 18th. The "stud" was the dominant bull in the 2012 rut. This is one of my top 5 photos for 2012.
Boxley Beast vs. Godzilla
I am the pro who made the mistake of taking his wife out to learn how to take videos. She did not know what she was doing. So she got this fight video, as good a video as perhaps has ever been shot around here, her first time out.
Mandy can be proud of this one. It has been viewed on YouTube almost 500 times in one week. These are rare videos. I did do the editing, but Mandy got the shot.
What's really important is to simplify. The work of most photographers would be improved immensely if they could do one thing: get rid of the extraneous. If you strive for simplicity, you are more likely to reach the viewer.
William Albert Allard
William Albert Allard
This recognition, in real life, of a rhythm of surfaces, lines, and values is for me the essence of photography; composition should be a constant of preoccupation, being a simultaneous coalition - an organic coordination of visual elements.
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Bull elk crossing Buffalo National River at the peak of the 2012 elk rut. He is part of a herd of bachelor bulls not yet quite old enough to compete for mating rights.
Site Contents
Boxley Valley Guides
Elk in Boxley Valley
Destinations Near Boxley
General Photo Tutorials
Feedback/Suggestions/Bio
Map © Michael Dougherty 2013
