Elk

Elk are the only members of the deer family, other than caribou, that form large social groups. Twenty-five or more cows, calves and yearlings will stay together until the fall rut, which starts in September.

Bulls form smaller, separate groups or live singly until just before the rut. During the rut, bulls bugle, wallow, spray urine, thrash vegetation with their antlers and fight, both with antlers and front hooves. Bull elk, unlike other deer, will form harems of cows that they will protect from other bulls. Most females are bred in September but the rut may continue into November. Gestation is 8 months and a single calf is born.

Elk have a characteristic "alertness" of appearance that comes from holding their head high as they move. This is in contrast to caribou, which move with their heads down. The calf has a high-pitched squeal when in danger; the cow has a similar squeal, also a sharp bark when traveling with a herd; males have a high-pitched bugling call that starts with a low note and ends with a few low-toned grunts and is generally heard during rutting season, especially at night.

The antlers of mature bulls consist of a long, round beam that sweeps up and back from the skull with tines that are unbranched. The normal number of tines on a mature bull is six; the tip of the antler points down from the main beam and the other five tines are located forward and point up. Generally two of the tines are above the forehead. Antlers usually start growing in early May, are complete by late August and are shed between late February and early April. As with others in the deer family, antlers are used to compete for dominance during the rut.

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