Don Balke (North Carolina, B. 1933) "Rocky Mountain Elk and Blue Spruce" Signed lower right. Original Watercolor painting on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This art was originally published in the limited edition collection of philatelic proofcards issued by Fleetwood and the National Audubon Society for the Wildlife of the 50 States. Utah's bull Elk forages for food among the state's Blue Spruce. Crowned with magnificent antlers spanning up to five feet across, the bull Elk is naturally prepared for the rutting season during which he must fight other bulls before claiming a female as his own. With bloodshot eyes and swollen neck, the bull Elk plunges through forests, bugling a low challenge to his fellow bulls. Suddenly another bull responds and the contestants collide, locking their powerful antlers. The males spar, tearing up the ground and trampling bushes. The ferocity of the contest intensifies, and their rugged bodies strain and shove until one merges victor, winning the sought after female. Polygamous bulls claim two or three dozen wives for a harem, often fighting valiantly for each conquest. By late October the rutting season ends and, as winter snows fall, bulls lose their mighty antlers. Herds then descend from mountainous summer homes to winter ranges in the valleys and live quietly in small matriarchal groups. In late winter, bulls wander off alone to grow new antlers. When they have gone, cows drop their calves, the spotted babies weighing up to forty pounds. The young grow swiftly. After their first birthdays, yearling bulls grow their first pair of antlers. The horns begin as small buds covered with soft skin and fine hair called velvet. By autumn, antlers reach full growth and the bones harden. The antlered bull now rubs the velvet off on tree and rocks, polishing his weapons for the new mating season. Image Size: 13.5 x 14.5 in. Overall Size: 14 x 17 in. Unframed. (B07717)