Moose Through the Lupine, Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado
It was early spring when I photographed this bull moose in a field of out-of-focus lupine in northern Colorado. Like all male deer (yes, a moose is a deer) a new set of antlers is grown each year before being shed in the winter. Throughout most of the growing season, the antlers are covered in velvet. Once fully grown, the velvet will shed, and soon thereafter, the antlers will be dropped. This guy is also displaying a nice dewlap — that fancy flap of skin hanging from beneath the chin.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/500th of a second