Out scouting this morning on an old haul road, look up to see a couple of cow elk about 100 yards away, coming at me at a pretty good pace. Just enough time to get off the trail into the regen and get my camera out.
First cow came level with me, and quick left turn into the bush on the other side of the trail. She must have smelled me. The three or four cows with her followed her into the bush.
Another group of 4 or 5 cows stopped about 40 metres to my left, milled around for a bit, then off into the bush.
And then another small group stopped in the same spot, and immediately headed into the bush. This group had the bull in it--I only got a glimpse but it didn't look like a six point (the only legal elk in this management unit).
None of them were legal, but that's as close as I've been on foot to an elk, let alone a dozen or so, and the sound as they came pounding down the road was impressive. Definitely got me stoked for hunting season to open on Monday.