It's prime time in Boxley Valley, the Elk are in the early part of the annual rut
and photographers will get their best chances for great shots over the next month
or so. Here are the details for those who might wish to visit this beautiful area.

It's early and late. You pretty much are only going to see big elk at the ends of the
day. I get there around daybreak, and shoot until 9:00 at the latest. In the evenings,
opportunities start around 5:00, and continue to dark. There may be a herd that
stays out, and there may be exceptions, but for the most part the elk don't like the
heat and light of day. This changes gradually as the weather gets colder, and we
are just heading into that period now. In the winter months, there are often elk in the
fields all day. The bad news is that the really huge bulls segregate from the cow
herds and they remain timid and pretty much disappear by 8 AM.

The rut is just starting to get into full swing. This makes the elk less cautious and
sometimes you can get real close because they have one thing on their mind. Satellite
bulls, that hang around the edges of "claimed herds", look for opportunities when the
dominant bull is not alert. I think this makes them a kind of wild card in all my predictions.

Expect the light to be lousy in the morning, and decaying rapidly at night because
Boxley Valley is framed in high bluffs and low mountains. I find myself shooting at
ISO 400 and above, most often at 800, and at times 1600. A while back I got a good
picture at 1/5th of a second at ISO 1600 at 560MM. Obviously, there were many
shots that just did not come out. Bring your tripod, and your longest lens.

Sometimes the fog is very heavy in the morning and there are not many opportunties.
It can be very heavy at one end of the valley and relatively light at the other. The area
where the elk are now is compact, so there is ample opportunity and time to choose
your shooting area before you setup for your best chances.

The last few days the herds have been located on highway 43 between the intersection
of highway 21 on the south end, and north to the last fields before you get to elk
observation station that was built by Game and Fish (the elk are never at this station
unless they are passing through, don't bother stopping there). What I recommend is
that you head down Boxley Valley from Ponca on highway 43 slowly and look at the
fields on the east side of the road. Do not stop the first time you see any elk, unless
it is one of those obviously exceptional situations like a fight close to the road. Until
you have examined the whole potential range down to just north of the church just
past the 21 intersection, you will not know what is the best opportunity. I can't tell
you how many times I have driven past a good opportunity to find an outstanding one just
farther on. It only takes about 5 minutes to drive the length of the relevant area and
return to your choice.

The elk will range as far north as the field next to the Ponca access point, but the
herds have not been there for a while. That could change overnight, but it is unlikely,
still it is a simple matter to look when you do your survey.

In the evening, the herds often pop out of the cane line quite suddenly. They almost
always will be where you saw them in the morning. Migrations are led by cows, and
you may only see one along the cane line before the whole herd, then suddenly they
will pop out as a group in a couple of minutes. The bull is almost always dead last.
If you see other bulls in a migrating herd, the dominant bull will still likely be
dead last, and there could be a fight.

Fall color is expected to peak in the third week of October. There are also many places
to visit and take photos during the mid day when the elk are generally not seen.

I hope you can make it to see this outstanding photographic opportunity. I drive a black
jeep wrangler and I am in Boxley most days. I am glad to offer the most up to date info
I have, just ask.

Michael Dougherty
Compton, Arkansas
October 12, 2007
info@arkansasnaturephotography.com