Being in Yellowstone during the annual elk rut can be an exciting experience, but don't count on getting a lot of sleep in the backcountry. Despite the claims by some of the anti-wolf groups, the elk population is doing fine in Yellowstone. On this trip, it seemed that half the population thundered by my campsite during the night. A well-used wallow (below) was in the meadow about 200 feet from my tent. The resident bull would start at the head of the Rescue Creek drainage, bugling out shrill challenges to his competition as he worked his way out of the timber and down into the valley floor. By the time he reached the wallow, he'd be in a fighting frenzy, thrashing every sapling along the way. Once at the wallow, he'd plow the muddy seep with his rack, then piss and wallow in it. Dripping with mud, he'd then go charging back into the timber to do battle with another bull on the ridge behind me. There was seldom a time while I was staying at Rescue Creek that he wasn't either visible or very loudly announcing his presence. The cows seemed to care little for the theatrics.