Elk
The elk, or wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, in the world, and one of the largest land mammals in North America and Eastern Asia. Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark. Male elk have large antlers which are shed each year. Males also engage in ritualized mating behaviors during the rut, including posturing, antler wrestling (sparring), and bugling, a loud series of vocalizations that establishes dominance over other males and attracts females.
Some cultures revere the elk as a spiritual force. In parts of Asia, antlers and their velvet are used in traditional medicines. Elk are hunted as a game species. The meat is leaner and higher in protein than beef or chicken.
There are numerous subspecies of elk described, with six from North America and four from Asia. Of the six subspecies of elk known to have inhabited North America in historical times, four remain, including the Roosevelt, tule , Manitoban and Rocky Mountain. The eastern elk and Merriam's elk subspecies have been extinct for at least a century.
Elk are more than twice as heavy as mule deer and have a more reddish hue to their hair coloring, as well as large, buff colored rump patches and smaller tails. Moose are larger and darker than elk; bulls have distinctively different antlers. Elk gather in herds, while moose are solitary. Elk cows average 225 to 241 kg (496 to 531 lb), stand 1.3 m (4.3 ft) at the shoulder, and are 2.1 m (6.9 ft) from nose to tail. Bulls are some 40% larger than cows at maturity, weighing an average of 320 to 331 kg (705 to 730 lb), standing 1.5 m (4.9 ft) at the shoulder and averaging 2.45 m (8.0 ft) in length.The largest of the subspecies is the Roosevelt elk (C. c. roosevelti), found west of the Cascade Range in the U.S. states of California, Oregon and Washington, and in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Typically, male Roosevelt elks weigh around 300 to 544 kg (661 to 1,199 lb), while females weigh 260 to 285 kg (573 to 628 lb) The smallest-bodied race is the tule elk which weighs from 170 to 250 kg (370 to 550 lb) in both sexes.
Only the males have antlers, which start growing in the spring and are shed each winter. The largest antlers may be 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) long and weigh 18 kilograms (40 lb).Antlers are made of bone which can grow at a rate of 2.5 centimetres (0.98 in) per day. While actively growing, the antlers are covered with and protected by a soft layer of highly vascularised skin known as velvet. The velvet is shed in the summer when the antlers have fully developed. Bull elk may have eight or more tines on each antler; however, the number of tines has little to do with the age or maturity of a particular animal. The formation and retention of antlers is testosterone-driven.After the breeding season in late fall, the level of pheromones released during estrus declines in the environment and the testosterone levels of males drop as a consequence. This drop in testosterone leads to the shedding of antlers, usually in the early winter.
During the fall, elk grow a thicker coat of hair, which helps to insulate them during the winter. Males, females and calves North American elk all grow thin neck manes. By early summer, the heavy winter coat has been shed, and elk are known to rub against trees and other objects to help remove hair from their bodies. All elk have small and clearly defined rump patches with short tails. They have different coloration based on the seasons and types of habitats, with gray or lighter coloration prevalent in the winter and a more reddish, darker coat in the summer.
Adult elk usually stay in single-sex groups for most of the year. During the mating period known as the rut, mature bulls compete for the attentions of the cow elk and will try to defend females in their harem. Rival bulls challenge opponents by bellowing and by paralleling each other, walking back and forth. This allows potential combatants to assess the other's antlers, body size and fighting prowess. If neither bull backs down, they engage in antler wrestling, and bulls sometimes sustain serious injuries. Bulls also dig holes (wallows) in the ground, in which they urinate and roll their body.A male elk's urethra points upward so that urine is sprayed almost at a right angle to the penis.The urine soaks into their hair and gives them a distinct smell which attracts cows. Yeah they stink!
Dominant bulls follow groups of cows during the rut, from August into early winter. A bull will defend his harem of 20 cows or more from competing bulls and predators. Only mature bulls have large harems and breeding success peaks at about eight years of age. Bulls between two and four years and over 11 years of age rarely have harems, and spend most of the rut on the periphery of larger harems. Young and old bulls that do acquire a harem hold it later in the breeding season than do bulls in their prime. A bull with a harem rarely feeds and he may lose up to 20 percent of his body weight. Bulls that enter the rut in poor condition are less likely to make it through to the peak conception period or have the strength to survive the rigors of the oncoming winter.
Bulls have a loud vocalization consisting of screams known as bugling, which can be heard for miles. Bugling is often associated with an adaptation to open environments such as parklands, meadows, and savannas, where sound can travel great distances. Females are attracted to the males that bugle more often and have the loudest call.Bugling is most common early and late in the day and is one of the most distinctive sounds in nature.
INFO:
- Accepting the Challenge of Western Hunting By Justin Smith
- Elk Calling Tactics
- Sitka Gear Core Advantage Series
- Planning a Western Elk Hunt By Jared Bloomgren
- Elk Hunting - Find and Plan Your Elk Hunts and Trips
- Elk Hunting in Montana
- Late Season Bulls - A Dying Art
- New Film Release - Palimpsest
- The Road to Elk Hunting Sucess
- Nutrition and Supplements for Elk Hunters
- Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
- Merino Wool Clothing by Minus 33
- Calling ALL ELK
- Idaho OTC Elk, Part I By Ron Wright
- Idaho OTC Elk, Part II: Tips on Finding Elk By Ron Wright
- Public Land Elk Hang-ups by Elknut
- CALLING QUIET ELK By Elknut
- Setups Things To Consider! By Elknut
- Punching Your Elk Tag By Justin Davis
- ELK HUNTING 4 SUCCESS By Ross Russell
- Colorado - Elk Hunting University
- Elk Hunting- wilderness drop camps
- 5 Steps To Taking An Elk With An Over-The-Counter Tag
VIDEOS:
- DIY Colorado Elk Hunt OTC 2015
- Elk Hunting Gear List Review 2015
- 2015 Colorado Public Land OTC Elk Hunt (part 1)
- 2015 Colorado Public Land OTC Elk Hunt (part 2)
- DIY OTC Colorado Elk Hunt 2015
- Bowhunting Elk: Monster 6x6 O.T.C Tag ~D.I.Y Colorado Elk Hunt
- DIY Colorado Elk Rifle Hunt 2014
- My Gear List for a 7-Day Backpack Elk Hunt
- Hunting Colorado Elk On Public Land
- Hunting Colorado Elk On Public Land (2)
- Bowhunting public land elk in Colorado
- When a Bull Elk Bugles in Your Face
- Young Bull Elk Struggles to Stay Awake
- Removing a Backstrap, The Gutless Method
- NEW MEXICO BULL ELK BOW HUNT
- Biggest bull elk taken in the state of UTAH in the year of 2011
- 500" WORLD RECORD Elk "Spyder Bull" Entire Hunt - MossBack
- Bugle Battle and harvesting a bull with archery.
- HOW TO SCORE AND FIELD JUDGE ELK - PART 1
- What does your bull elk score?
- Field Judging Elk
- Elk Scoring & Field Judging by Jay Scott
- Elk Photos with Score
- Elk Scoring guide