Saturday, September 04, 2010
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The elk is an animal that is popular with both tourists and hunters. They live in a great part of Wyoming. The biggest herds live near the western mountains. Bulls weigh around 700 pounds, and cows weigh around 500 pounds. These are some of the biggest antlered creatures in the United States. Information about Wyoming elk can be found HERE.
If you’re travelling through Sybille Canyon, keep your eyes open! Not only will you often see deer and elk in the middle of the road, you can also take a look at them around mile marker 24 at the Tom Thorne and Beth Williams Wildlife Refuge. You’ll see Teddy the bison and his pals there too. You can park your vehicle, but don’t get too close. ..that fence is there for a reason!
Elk like to live high in the mountains during the summertime. They eat in alpine meadows and near the forest rims. Bulls will eat by themselves, but cows and calves are known to gather in big herds to be protected. Once rutting time comes, bulls try to herd cows and calves. They mate with cows after they come into heat. They protect their harems from competitive bulls.
Elk can sometimes be heard making a bugle sound. This is a warning for other bulls. If a bull arrives to challenge the first bull, a battle will follow. The bulls will stomp and thrash the ground. They want to display who is the meanest bull. When they fight, the bulls will lock their large antlers. They start pushing and twisting until one eventually surrenders and goes away.
These mating wars help to guarantee that the strongest bull will generate the greatest number of offspring. Sometimes other bulls sit on the sidelines and hurry to breed with the cows when bigger bulls battle. More information can be found at The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
The autumn snow will make the elk move to the lower elevation ranges. In the spring, the bulls lose their antlers and start to produce new ones. The elk then return to the high country and follow the line of the thawing snow.
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