Return of the Elk

Elk Natural History Facts

Elk Beyond The Pine Ridge

Managing the Herds

Counting Elk

Roping Elk

Elk Natural History Facts
Photos and text by Eric Fowler
Published in NEBRASKAland Magazine, October 2010

Origin: Elk are even-toed ungulates (hooved mammals) of the deer family (cervidae), along with white-tailed and mule deer, moose and caribou. North America “elk” (the name elk properly belongs to the European moose) are closely related to red deer of Europe and Asia, and are believed to have crossed the Bering Land Bridge between Siberia and Alaska 120,000 years ago. Elk are also referred to as wapiti, a Shawnee name for “white rump.”

Subspecies/range: Six subspecies of elk, numbering perhaps 10 million, once roamed throughout most of the United States and parts of Canada and Mexico. Today four remaining subspecies number an estimated one million elk. The Rocky Mountain elk was found from the mountain west to unknown points to the east, possibly overlapping with the now-extinct Eastern subspecies. It is still found thorughout the west and has been transplanted in several eastern states as well. Of the other subspecies, Roosevelt elk are found on the Pacific Coast, tule elk in central California, and Manitoban elk in the northern Great Plains.

Size: As adults, cows measure 4½ feet at the shoulder and 6½ feet from nose to rump. Bulls are 5 feet at the shoulder and 8 feet long. Calves weigh about 35 pounds at birth. Cow elk can weigh more than 500 pounds, and bulls average 700 pounds.

Diet: Elk are primarily grazers that feed on grass, but they sometimes browse trees and shrubs and will even nibble aspen bark in the high-country. In Nebraska and other agricultural states, elk will also eat corn, wheat, alfalfa and other crops.

Antlers: Starting in their second year, bull elk grow and shed antlers annually. The antlers grow from pedicles on their skull in the spring. Beneath a layer of velvet, layer upon layer of cartilage that mineralizes into bone is added at a rate of one inch per day, growing faster than any other kind of bone. When the growth stops in August, the velvet is shed. In their second year, bulls grow spikes that are 10 to 20 inches long. Later sets produce tines that branch from the main beams. By its seventh summer, a bull typically has six points per side on antlers that can measure 4 feet in length and weigh 40 pounds each. During the breeding season, which in Nebraska begins in mid-September and stretches into or through October, bull elk use their antlers to fight for breeding rights and protect their harem. The biggest bulls with the biggest antlers typically win these battles, which are often bloody and sometimes deadly.

The Language: Bulls let out eerie, high-pitched bugles to advertise their presence to rival bulls and potential mates during the fall rut. Cows bark to warn others of danger and mew to keep track of each other.

Breeding Age: Unlike white-tailed deer, which sometimes breed in their first fall and often have twins, cow elk usually don’t breed until they are 2½ years old and in most cases have only one calf. In late-May or early June, following approximately 8½ months of gestation, cows separate from the herd to have their spotted, scentless calves in isolated areas. Calves join the herd about two weeks after birth.

Lifespan: Elk can live 20 years in captivity, but typically live 10 to 15 years in the wild.

Conservation Partners: The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has helped protect and enhance 5.8 million acres of elk habitat since it formed in 1984, including several Nebraska projects, where it has also been a partner in elk research. Information in this sidebar came from their web site at RMEF.org, which contains many more facts and details about elk conservation issues, hunting tips and news.