Our earliest departure yet, beginning with a 66-mile haul down the interstate, then turn north into the desert. There's three leks in this portion of the desert, and the roads are not good. The gas wells are just starting to pop up around here. I should have checked these leks earlier, before sunrise crept so early on the clock, but the snow and rain the weekend before made me leery of getting into some of this country.

Got to the first lek exactly one minute before sunrise.

And nobody there.

A quick walk onto the lek site found fresh tracks and scat. They were here. Just last night. So either they were flushed by something, like an eagle, or they just quit early because we're coming up on a full moon.

The raven croaking at us as I loaded the heelers back into the rig made me hope they were flushed. Likewise for the eagle flying low a mile or so northwest. Which, of course, made me worry about lek number two.

Before I could find out about that, we had to chase these guys off our two-track.

Two spikes, a small bull, and another bull who has already shed his antlers. Presumably he was a larger bull, since the larger racks seem to fall earlier.

When we got to our overlook for lek number two, I saw...

Five more elk.

No grouse (dammit), just five tawny elk bodies glowing in the early morning sun, a couple hundred meters north of the lek. Just to be sure, I put the scope on the lek, and was able to spot five cocks slowly walking off the strutting ground, heading out to get breakfast. But the strut is over for the day.

Looks like we've been screwed by the moon.

Heeler sisters finally got a running break at the narrow gate on the way to lek number three (not too far from where I found the antler now on someone's shelf in Georgia). After slowly creeping past two cows and their tiny little calves, we headed west and north.

A week before I wouldn't dare come here because of the snow. Now we're leaving a dust trail for miles. Literally.

Third strutting ground was the same as the first.

Empty.

And a short walk found lots of tracks and fresh scat. They' been here, all right. Within hours, or less. Just quit early, because they'd been strutting almost all night under the moonlight.

So, a pretty disappointing morning. A long drive, and definite shortage of sleep, for what? A lousy count on one lek, and two others empty.

Saw more elk than grouse.

And, after a month or so, the early morning hours start to wear on you a little.