Montana Wildlife - Rocky Mountain Elk
Elk are by far one of the most abundant of the major mammal species in Montana with an estimated 30,000 elk that summer in Yellowstone National Park’s 2.2 million acres alone.
Elk are one of the larger members of the deer family and occupy all habitats from meadows up to the high mountain forests. Elk have been known to travel in herds that have numbered several thousand head. During the breeding season, which lasts from mid-September to mid-November, a bull may gather 20-30 cows into his harem, often clashing with other males for domination of the greater herd. After the mating season, bulls will break off from the main herd and form bachelor groups, traveling together rather than competing for dominance. The females (cows) and offspring (calves) travel together year round along with sub-adult males not of breeding age.
Elk offer one of the most celebrated experiences that a wildlife enthusiast can be part of. During the breeding season, bulls bugle to establish dominance, challenge other males and to locate females. The bugle begins as a very guttural, low toned grunt and escalates to a high pitched whistle that lasts for several seconds. The experience of sitting out on a crisp October day while the mountainside around you rings with bull elk challenging each other is truly a remarkable experience and one that will not soon be forgotten. Even those who have spent their entire lifetimes around this animal are constantly reminded of the regality of nature when they hear the first bugles of fall.
Elk can reach a mature weight of over 1000 pounds for larger males (avg. 700 lbs.) and up to 650 pounds for females (avg. 500 lbs.), bulls feed primarily to add bulk for mating season and put on stores for winter, cows on the other hand devote much of their caloric intake to gestation, birth, and care for their calves rather than body maintenance and growth. Elk can reach heights of almost six feet at the point of the shoulder and be nearly eight feet long. Elk coat colors vary from reddish-brown in the summer to a lighter tan in the winter months, calves are spotted during the first few months after being born, the bulls also possess a dark, chestnut colored neck and mane.
Bulls grow a new set of antlers each year, possessing their “best” set in about their 11th or 12th year; the antlers can reach over five feet in length and weigh upwards of 35 pounds. Mature bulls shed their antlers in February-March, while younger bulls can retain them until May. The new antlers begin growing within days of shedding and will become covered in a layer of velvet until they have completed growing, usually around August. Rocky Mountain Elk are the most abundant of the elk subspecies and number over 850,000 in North America. They can have a life expectancy of upwards of twenty years, travel long distances at speeds close to thirty miles per hour and leap almost ten feet in the air.
All best,
______________________
Jason Frey
Agent
PureWest, Inc.
jason.frey@purewestproperties.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonfreylifewideopen
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