Elk

		SIZE

		HEIGHT:	To shoulder (5-6 ft.)
		LENGTH:	N/A
		WEIGHT:	Males (Bull) 700 to 1000 lbs. Females (Cow) 500-600 lbs.

		BREEDING

		MATURITY:	Female: 2.5 years
		MATING:	Starts in Sept. A bull will round up harems (a group of females) to breed.
		GESTATION:	8 1/2 months.
		# OF YOUNG :	Normally 1, rarely twins.

		LIFESTYLE

		HABIT:	Most active in the mornings and evenings. Usually seen in groups of 25 and up.
		DIET:	Feeds on grasses, twigs, bark, and herbs.
		LIFESPAN:	Lives 14 years in wild. 25 in captivity.

		SCIENTIFIC NAME

		FAMILY:	Also called "Wapiti". Classified as "Cervus elaphus" Similar species: Moose, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, and Woodland Caribou Reindeer).

		GENERAL INFORMATION

		The elk are also called "Wapiti", which is the Cree Indian word for "white" referring the color of the animal's rump. In the wild, elk live chiefly in high, open mountain pastures in summer, and in lower wooded slopes or dense woods during the winter. They are named just like cattle: cow, bull, calf. We handle and manage then like cattle. In the summer, the cows and calves live together while the bulls form "bachelor" herds. In the fall, breeding season the bulls fight, sometimes to the death, for a harem. The bull elk will stand on its rear legs and strike out with his sharp, cloven hooves. Not only are the bulls strong, they are very fast, running up to 35 mph, and, unlike deer, they can move through the forest almost silently. The calves are born with white spots for camouflage just like a deer fawn. Each March the bulls shed their rack of antlers. The rack will drop off completely and the next one is already starting to grow. The new antlers, which grow almost an inch a day, are filled with blood vessels and can weigh up to 35 pounds. The antlers have a velvet-like covering, which is why we call this process "in the velvet." They will reach their full length in mid-summer when the blood vessels inside dry up and the much-lighter antler becomes calcified like a bone. Preparing himself for breeding season, the bull runs the velvet off on tree limbs and sharpens the tines.

"20 years ago my parents decided to visit South Dakota. My mother insisted we go to Bear Country. Out of all my childhood memories I must say Bear Country is by far one of the most memorable! I vividly remember the one bear who walked up to the back of our car. Out of all my friends I can honestly claim to be the only one within a few feet of a bear! Now that I am older, married with kids of my own. I anticipate the day I can bring my family to Bear Country USA."

ViKy
Texas