Got Rut?, photo by lonewolv / William A. LaCrosse III.

When I saw this picture (shot in Hillman, MI in 2004) I figured “elk farm.” However, as I looked into the subject I discovered that Michigan has a significant wild elk population. Michigan Elk: Past and Present from the Michigan DNR says:

Michigan’s native elk disappeared around 1875. Today’s elk herd dates back to 1918, when seven western animals were released near Wolverine. From that reintroduction, the number of animals grew steadily to about 1,500 elk in the early 1960s. They reached the point where limited hunting was possible in 1964 and 1965.

… Reduced poaching losses, habitat improvement and successful management of hydrocarbon development resulted in an increase in elk numbers to 850 by 1984.

As the herd grew, problems also increased with forest and agricultural damage. To bring the herd in better balance with its natural food supplies and with the needs of landowners, elk hunting resumed in 1984. Biologists estimated the January 2006 population to be between 800-900 animals. This goal is a winter herd of 800 to 900 elk.

The village of Atlanta claims the title of Elk Capital of Michigan and holds an Elk Festival every September (September 25-27, 2009). You can read more about the second largest species of deer (following only the moose) in Wikipedia’s Elk entry which has this to say about rut:

Adult elk usually stay in single-sex groups for most of the year. During the mating period known as the rut, mature bulls compete for the attentions of the cows and will try to defend females in their harem. Rival bulls challenge opponents by bellowing and by paralleling each other, walking back and forth. This allows potential combatants to assess the others antlers, body size and fighting prowess. If neither bull backs down, they engage in antler wrestling, and bulls sometimes sustain serious injuries.

Find even more elk info and photos under Cervus elaphus, elk (also: red deer; wapiti) from the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology’s Animal Diversity Web.

See this larger in William’s slideshow.