This past weekend I made a trip to Richland Valley ...

The valley is located within both the Buffalo National River and Gene Rush Wildlife Management areas.  To get there you have to ford either the Buffalo River near Woolum at the north end or Richland Creek at the south end.  There are no bridges which means access is limited to low water times.

I went mainly to view and photograph elk since June is peak calfing time.  Not only did I see elk (although no newborn calves) but several other species too.  No black bear this time though ...

Early Sunday morning I was sitting at the edge of a field watching the elk graze when I spotted these wild turkeys.  They put on quite a show for about 30 minutes before the elk pushed them into the woods.

This photo may be viewed full size in the 2012 Richland Valley gallery ...