You can see elk all throughout Banff and they come through our yard as well. The mighty 'Banff Unicorn' is a very old and infamous YouTube phenomenon also. To experience the rut playing out in your backyard is exciting and these animals sometimes get taken for granted by those of us that see them face to face on a daily basis.

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There can always be moments that stand out and opportunities present themselves in some fantastic ways. I am always out on my bike just cruising around with my camera along the trails hoping for an opportunity and this day became one of my favourites for shooting. There is a place where birds hop between cattails in the early Fall that I like to ride out to. The background colours and fresh snowfall this day was making for some beautiful photos but I wanted something different. So I packed up my gear and rode out to where I had seen elk the day before hoping that one would be in the open, yet close enough to the forest to create the same background effect I was seeing with the birds and the snow falling.

 

Sure enough, there was a lone male hanging in the exact spot I was hoping for when I arrived. He stayed exactly where he was for about two minutes and then just as the snow stopped falling he decided to walk off. I got the shot I pictured in my mind and happily called it a day.

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-Tyler Thoren