With Slough Creek meandering through the valley below, Paul checks out a pile of racks and skulls that had been stashed on top of the Ridge. Elk gather in large numbers in Lamar Valley during the winter months, and in spite of claims to the contrary, the population of the northern herd is still vital years after wolves were re-introduced to the Yellowstone backcountry. It's not uncommon to run across the remains of one of the elk that have been pulled down by some of the wolves that call the northern range home. The top of Specimen Ridge is littered with hundreds, if not thousands of antlers and skulls each spring as the elk shed their racks or succumb to starvation following rough winters. The Park Service fights a never-ending battle against the poachers that remove the horns and heads from the high country each year. We found numerous stashes of skulls and racks along the top of the Ridge where poachers had gathered them to be hauled out later, sometimes by helicopter.