This is to follow up on yesterday's post where I spoke about Tule Elk and oaks.  Many of us never think about the daily life of critters ... when they eat, drink, sleep, etc.   And yes, they all do it!   Here you see a mature bull tule elk that is sound asleep ... with his nose literally resting on the ground and eyes closed.  Keep in mind that ungulates (hoofed animals) , such as deer and elk, are quite comfortable feeding all night long, and therefore often use daylight hours to catch up on sleep. 

This bull is on the verge of shedding the velvet off his antlers, which regrow annually.  As the hormones change in the bull's system, the blood flow will constrict to the antlers which stops the growth of them, and the soft fuzzy covering (the velvet) will dry and become itchy.  this prompts the bulls to rub there antlers on brush, limbs,and trees, until the antlers are free of velvet and become hard and polished.