I and my photographer friend made the journey to Benezette PA for the Elk rut. Weather, animals, gear and numerous other obstacles made for a real challenge in my first serious wildlife shoot! When the lighting was right, the elk were too far away for my to small, too slow 28-300mm (at 300 it's at f6.3). When the elk were up close and personal, the fog was thick as pea soup or it was well after dark! They refused to pose with nice backdrops...LOL! All in all though it was great too see and hear bugling elk for the first time in my life. They are beautiful, graceful and yes comical at times. It was a great time in PA and I also got to see and try to photograph a wild black bear. I felt like Steve Irwin and wanted to turn to someone and yell "By crikey-she's a real beauty!!!" Should you find the time to wander over to Benezette, photo or not - it's a great experience!