I mentioned earlier that I had stopped at the Oconaluftee Visitor's Center on my way to Clingmans Dome to check out the elk gathering in the field next door. What started out as three elk quickly became a dozen or so and made for a great photo opportunity.

Traveling back to Cherokee from Clingmans Dome and Newfound Gap on US Route 441 took me past the Visitor Center once again. I saw that elk crowd had grown once again and stopped to take more pics. This large group was wandering around in one area of the field.

There were signs everywhere telling motorists to "Watch for Elk."

They appear to frequent this field with regularity.

The traffic cones in the background were set up by the Park Rangers. Realizing that people love to stop and take photos, they actually blocked off the right travel lane for people to stop and do so.

This is, apparently, the fall mating season, also known as the "Rut." A number of calves could be seen throughout.

Adult elk can weigh anywhere from 500 - 600 pounds (females) to 800 - 900 pounds (males). They will charge if provoked which meant all fields were closed to humans during the Rut, which sounds like a smart idea.

People were allowed to view the elk from the roadway near the traffic cones, but not allowed to get any closer.

This is precisely where my zoom lens comes in handy.

I think some of the Elk wear radio collars used by researchers to collect data.

I managed to get several good shots of the group.

The shots at full optical zoom came out quite well. Adding some digital zoom started to make the pictures a bit noisy. But you get the idea.

I finished the day by enjoying the always wonderful buffet at Harrah's before heading back to my hotel for the night. I've got a full day planned for tomorrow.