I have been visiting the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge almost all of my life. Specifically I have made it a point to visit the Slippery Ann Elk Viewing Area almost every fall. During the fall large herds of elk congregate for the rut on the meadows near the Missouri River on the refuge. The elk rut refers to the mating rituals of the bulls in particular as they are gathering their harems of cows. You will hear bugling, as well as other elk vocalizations, along with the occasional fight between bulls. The viewing area has become very popular over the years and you can expect to see hundreds of cars gather every night to watch the spectacle. While I am glad so many people are enjoying the wildlife, I must say I have become disappointed with just how many people are there and what a circus it has become. When we were kids we could visit the area in relative peace, whereas now there are crowds of people, loud ATV’s driving up and down the road, tour buses and a bit of what I can only describe as a party atmosphere. As someone who likes to enjoy nature in its natural state, I find this really distracts from the the experience. The viewing area is most active from September through early October. If you visit the Charles M. Russell website, there is a hotline you can call to check on the elk numbers in the area. There are camp sites and pit toilets available in the area and there are plenty of other sites to see during a visit to the C. M. Russel NWR.
Some years you can see some amazing fall colors, but some years are better than others.
Of course elk are not the only things that call the refuge home, we saw this wolf spider one evening while watching the elk.