Threats from Mankind:Before the settlement of the United States in the 1800’s, the 7 species of elk inhabiting North America were spread across the continent. The elk calves are also in danger from black bears who hunt for them right after they are born. Perhaps the most efficient four-legged hunter is the wolf, who hunt in packs and is a large threat to any animal in its home range. However, the predators will make easy prey of sick, weak adults and the young. Like most adult mammals most healthy elk are in little danger from predators. Natural Predators:Įlk use large herds as a form of protection against predators. Their current range includes the Rocky Mountains and small pockets of habitat where they have successfully been reintroduced, such as Pennsylvania and on the Great Plains in North Dakota and Montana. Calves work hard at getting enough nourishment to grow and store up energy for the hard times of winter that will soon be here.ĭistribution:Historically elk ranged across the nearly all of the United States and over most of western Canada. His last shot was to stab the challenger in the rear with his dagger like horn.Ĭows give birth from late May to early June. The clash lasted only a half a minute or so and the herb bull remained victorious. They knocked down trees and the amount of power that they had was enormous. When they lock horns pandemonium broke loose. The herb bull was challenged by an equally impressive satellite bull. I witnessed one such confrontation in September in the Bridger Mountain is southwest Montana. When they actually clash it is an amazing sight. Bulls expend massive amounts of calories defending the harem or challenging for a harem.įor a video of elk and to hear their vocalization please go to this Elk YouTube video. Bull elk fight each other for the right to pass on his genes to the harem of cows. The rut begins in late August to and might run until November. The other elk learn from the lead cow and this is how elk successfully live in an area for years and years. The other elk rely on the lead cow to safely escort them to the proper areas at the right time. This cow typically is one of the more mature cows and has memorized trails to and from all the crucial areas in their home range. The elk in a herd rely on a mature cow called the “lead cow”. It is truly amazing to witness a bull elk run through a stand of timber and efficiently twist his antlers back and forth without hitting a single tree. Their massive antlers sweep back from their heads and sometimes extend all the way to the rump. When standing on four legs, a bull elk can be as five feet high at the shoulder. Younger bulls tend to group together and mature bulls tend to be solitary until the fall when the “rut” or breeding season begins.Ī mature bull elk is usually 8 to 12 years old and can weigh nearly 1,000 pounds and a mature cow can weigh as much as 600 pounds. Herds can be as large as 25 cows, calves and yearlings. While they are walking through the woods they are constantly vocalizing to each other to reassure as well as communicate regarding safety and security to the harem.

states have reintroduced small elk herds into heavily wooded wilderness areas.The elk is a very social animal. Today they live primarily in western North America, especially in mountainous landscapes such as Wyoming's National Elk Refuge and Yellowstone National Park. Population DistributionĮlk were once found across much of North America but they were killed off and driven to take refuge in more remote locations. The herds return to lower valley pastures where elk spend the season pawing through snow to browse on grass or settling for shrubs that stand clear of the snow cover. In the winter, elk reconvene into larger herds, though males and females typically remain separate. Males with the bigger antlers, typically older animals, usually win these battles and dominate small herds. These powerful animals strip the velvet off their new antlers using them in violent clashes that determine who gets to mate with whom. Antlers and Matingĭuring the late summer breeding season the bugling of bull elk echoes through the mountains. Each cow typically has a single calf, which can stand by the time it is 20 minutes old. In early summer, elk migrate to high mountain grazing grounds where the cows (females) will give birth. Preparation for Breeding Seasonīull elk lose their antlers each March, but they begin to grow them back in May in preparation for the late-summer breeding season. A bull (male) elk's antlers may reach 4 feet above its head, so that the animal towers 9 feet tall. Elk are also called wapiti, a Native American word that means “light-colored deer.” Elk are related to deer but are much larger than most of their relatives.

Rocky mountain elk weight