Camas Prairie Field Notes · September 19, 2026
When the elk bugle across the prairie.
I walked onto the hill above SMH Ranch as evening settled over the Camas Prairie and came upon a herd of perhaps 40 to 50 elk on the other side.
They were in the full intensity of the rut. I did not have binoculars, but I did not need them to understand what was happening. The herd bull's bugle carried clearly across the prairie, warning other bulls to stay away. From different directions, I could hear at least two challengers answering him.
The sound took me back to my first night at SMH Ranch. Early the following morning, I was awakened by the bugle of an elk. I remember lying there listening and realizing that I had arrived somewhere still shaped by wild animals, open country, and rhythms far older than any of us.
An elk bugle is the sound of wildness still present - a declaration of life, strength, and belonging.
It is also a reminder that we are not merely owners of land. For the brief time it is entrusted to us, we are its stewards. Looking back toward our home and across the prairie in the fading light, I was reminded again why this place matters - and why the mission is the soil.
- Dennis C. Stitt Jr.
