As the fall rutting season approaches, many of the moose are starting to move back down to the lower river valleys of the San Juans. Over the past week I have been photographing three bulls that have been hanging out together. While I have seen the two larger bulls together nearly every day, I have only seen the smaller bull with them a few times. As seen in the accompanying photos and videos, they often engage in mock combat, although they aren’t very serious about it. Once the rutting season begins, however, I imagine that it might get a bit more serious when the possibility of mating with a cow moose may be at stake. Although it is only the middle of August, the velvet on their antlers is starting to wear off as they calcify into hard bone. Currently they spend several hours every morning eating before bedding down to chew their cud once the sun hits. No doubt this is a relatively relaxing time of year for the moose, but they will need all the weight they put on now for mating as well as the upcoming lean winter months. I hope you enjoy the accompanying photos and videos of these magnificent animals!