Ok, maybe this elk we caught on our wildlife camera isn’t trying to pull a scam, but he might be trying to flirt! Swipe through to see more photos paired with audio of real flirting sounds. The rut is officially on! 🎺If you’ve visited Bryce Canyon in autumn, you might have been lucky enough to hear the trumpeting squeal-like bugle of bull elk somewhere in the park. This bugling is only one part of the elk’s mating season (aka the rut). 🎺The bull gathers the cows into groups called “harems” where he proceeds to put on a show for them, flaunting his size, large antlers, and anything else that might show how tough and superior he is. Large, symmetrical antlers show his good health while the deeper and louder his bugle, the bigger and more dominant he seems. 🎺The cows then judge who the most attractive bull is based on who they believe will give them the healthiest calves and provide protection from the constant harassment of younger bulls. 🎺We're used to thinking of animals like birds and prairie dogs breeding in spring, so why do elk breed in fall? For elk, it is important that their calves are born at the peak spring growth of grasses and plants to give them the best chance of foraging and growing throughout the summer. What's your best elk story? NPS Photo (tz) 1- NPS Video shows a still black and white image of an elk looking into the camera. Its eye is wide open and appears to glow in the night vision. [The audio is a voice whispering "we've been trying to get in touch with you about your car's extended warranty"] as the words appear on screen. 2- NPS Video shows a still color image image of an elk cow staring into the camera. Four elk can be seen in the background in the vegetation. [Audio is of a bull elk bugling]. 3- NPS Video shows a still color image of a bull elk who has turned around to look into the camera. His harem of cows can be seen in the background in the vegetation. [Audio is of a bull elk bugling].