Whether you enjoy just viewing wildlife or capturing them with a camera, you can’t miss this time of year in Wind Cave National Park in the southern Black Hills. Preparing for the upcoming winter has all the animals out foraging and not worrying so much about people and vehicles.
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- Prairie dogs are very curious about visitors to their “towns” and often sit up high to check the scenery.
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- Seen from one of Wind Cave’s backroads, a bull buffalo wanders the grasslands.
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- The crashing of antlers rattles the morning silence as bull elk battle in Wind Cave.
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- A large bull elk grazes near Rankin Ridge in Wind Cave National Park.
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- Mule deer buck in velvet.
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- Coyote in Wind Cave National Park
All of these photos were taken within Wind Cave National Park and all from within a vehicle. Although a telephoto lens really helps, these critters were mostly pretty close to the car as it was.
Elk can be most often found near Rankin Ridge or on the park’s gravel backcountry roads. Prairie dog towns are scattered throughout the park as are the buffalo. Deer are a common site along all park roads. Also keep an eye out for coyotes, magpies, eagles and vultures.
Don’t forget to click on the photos for a larger version.
