It is believed that over 100,000 years ago, the ancestors of today’s Elk crossed from the northern Asiatic land mass to Alaska. A land bridge had appeared because much of the oceans’ waters had been captured in glacial ice, permitting this connection to appear.
As time passed, the red deer that would eventually be called Elk, moved south in search of a better climate and forage. The Elk is one of our largest deer, often over twice the weight of either the White Tailed or Mule Deer. The bulls can reach 700 pounds or more in the Rocky Mountains, while the cows are about three-quarters the size of the males.
Besides their impressive size, the enormous antlers of the male are one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Elk. These antlers can be five feet long, and it is rather remarkable that they are shed and grown every year specifically for the rut, which lasts from the latter part of August through November.
The antlers are shed as soon as the rut is over and serve as a valuable source of calcium to many smaller animals such as squirrels, porcupines, chipmunks, and marmots. The following late spring and early summer will see the antlers begin to grow once again. Velvety and soft from the blood vessels feeding the growing antlers, by late summer the bulls have rubbed the velvet off the now-hard antlers and are ready to impress the ladies and do battle with the gents.
While the bulls are solitary or part of small bachelor herds, females with their young can sometimes form fairly large congregations. It is only during the rut that the bulls join the female herds. The bull Elk has a distinctive bugling call that he uses during the rut season to attract females and give challenge to males. At this time, the bulls mark their territory by scraping their antlers on trees and bushes, and rubbing their chin on these to leave their scent. Rolling in ‘scented’ mud is also done by the bulls to make them more attractive to the cows. Some bulls manage to collect a harem of over 50 cows during the rut.
As with many animals that live in mountainous situations, Elk migrate up and down the mountainsides according to the weather conditions and available food. Winter will drive the Elk to lower elevations where there will be more protection from woodlands as well as more plentiful food. Elk that live in more open glades and fields will form larger herds, while those that must depend upon woodland for food will form smaller groups.
The calves are born in spring or early summer. When the time to give birth approaches, the cow leaves the herd and has her baby (or babies) in a secluded spot. She will care for the calf on her own for about a week, then return to the herd. As Elk are preyed upon by mountain lions, wolves, and coyotes, the isolation from the more noticeable herd may afford a measure of protection to the young Elk until it can move strongly.
A number of factors contributed to a steep decline in the elk population, from an estimated population of 10 million to a remnant of only about 100,000, including over-hunting and habitat destruction. The Rocky Mountain Elks had suffered a severe reversal in numbers, but sensible conservation practices and reintroduction has helped the numbers of these large deer to rebound.
As time passed, the red deer that would eventually be called Elk, moved south in search of a better climate and forage. The Elk is one of our largest deer, often over twice the weight of either the White Tailed or Mule Deer. The bulls can reach 700 pounds or more in the Rocky Mountains, while the cows are about three-quarters the size of the males.
Besides their impressive size, the enormous antlers of the male are one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Elk. These antlers can be five feet long, and it is rather remarkable that they are shed and grown every year specifically for the rut, which lasts from the latter part of August through November.
The antlers are shed as soon as the rut is over and serve as a valuable source of calcium to many smaller animals such as squirrels, porcupines, chipmunks, and marmots. The following late spring and early summer will see the antlers begin to grow once again. Velvety and soft from the blood vessels feeding the growing antlers, by late summer the bulls have rubbed the velvet off the now-hard antlers and are ready to impress the ladies and do battle with the gents.
While the bulls are solitary or part of small bachelor herds, females with their young can sometimes form fairly large congregations. It is only during the rut that the bulls join the female herds. The bull Elk has a distinctive bugling call that he uses during the rut season to attract females and give challenge to males. At this time, the bulls mark their territory by scraping their antlers on trees and bushes, and rubbing their chin on these to leave their scent. Rolling in ‘scented’ mud is also done by the bulls to make them more attractive to the cows. Some bulls manage to collect a harem of over 50 cows during the rut.
As with many animals that live in mountainous situations, Elk migrate up and down the mountainsides according to the weather conditions and available food. Winter will drive the Elk to lower elevations where there will be more protection from woodlands as well as more plentiful food. Elk that live in more open glades and fields will form larger herds, while those that must depend upon woodland for food will form smaller groups.
The calves are born in spring or early summer. When the time to give birth approaches, the cow leaves the herd and has her baby (or babies) in a secluded spot. She will care for the calf on her own for about a week, then return to the herd. As Elk are preyed upon by mountain lions, wolves, and coyotes, the isolation from the more noticeable herd may afford a measure of protection to the young Elk until it can move strongly.
A number of factors contributed to a steep decline in the elk population, from an estimated population of 10 million to a remnant of only about 100,000, including over-hunting and habitat destruction. The Rocky Mountain Elks had suffered a severe reversal in numbers, but sensible conservation practices and reintroduction has helped the numbers of these large deer to rebound.