Roosevelt Elk Hunting

Roosevelt Elk

(Cervus elaphus roosevelti)

Current SCI all time record: Score 427 7/8 - B.C., Vancouver Island - 10/97

Description: Elk are members of the deer family and share many physical traits with deer, moose, and caribou. They are much larger than deer, but not as large as the moose which occur in Alaska. Distinguishing features include a large yellowish rump patch, a grayish to brownish body, and dark brown legs and neck. Unlike some members of the deer family, both sexes have upper canine teeth. The males have antlers which in prime bulls are very large, sweeping gracefully back over the shoulders with spikes pointing forward. Alaska elk antlers have a tendency toward crowning, the formation of the three points at the end of each antler. Elk shed their antlers during the winter each year and grow new ones the following summer. The soft growing antler is covered with “velvet” which is scraped off by rubbing and jousting after the antlers harden in the fall.

Other Common Names: Wapiti, Red Deer

Size:

Range: Vancouver Island, Canada and coastal Washington, Oregon, and northeast California. Introduced on Afognak and Raspberry Islands, Alaska, and Santa Rosa Island, California; September-November.

Natural History: In North America, elk are sometimes called wapiti to distinguish them from moose (Alces alces) which are called elk in Europe. Roosevelt elk are larger, slightly darker in color, and have shorter, less symmetrical yet more massive antlers than the Rocky Mountain elk found east of the Cascade mountains in Canada and the United States.

Elk calves are born in late May or early June when abundant food is available for the mother and the mild weather increases the calves' chances for survival. Birth usually occurs under the cover of dense spruce forests, hidden from predators and protected from the elements. Calves are born with protective coloration (light spotted areas on the back which act as camouflage). A few days after giving birth, the mother joins other cow elk with calves. A single cow will often “babysit” with the calves while the remaining cows seek food. As summer progresses, elk bands move above timberline and feed on the alpine slopes where breezes keep biting insects at bay and young plants are highly nutritious. By July, the calves, although still nursing, begin feeding on succulent forbs.

Beginning in August, bands of elk congregate and form herds consisting of cows, calves, yearlings and an occasional mature bull. Nearby, but separate from the herd, can be found small bands of mature bulls. During September, the bulls join the main herds and mating activities (the rut) begin. Large herds are scenes of vigorous activity as mature bulls challenge each other vocally, emitting a high pitched whistle or “bugle,” an eerie but thrilling sound. Occasionally, pushing and shoving matches are initiated as the mature bulls often attempt to take advantage of the larger bulls' preoccupation and run past them to win the favors of a female.

By mid-October most breeding activities have ceased. The herds may begin to disperse into smaller bands as they move into wintering areas. The winter months are spent in lower valleys and in the dense spruce forests and small openings near the coastline searching for food.

Elk are hardy animals whose large body size and herding tendencies require tremendous amounts of food. From late spring to early fall with a wide variety of food available, elk are mainly grazers, using grasses, forbs, and other leafy vegetation. By late fall they become browsers, feeding on sprouts and branches of shrubs and trees. The elk can become its own worst enemy as large herds often damage their food supply by excessive stripping, trampling, and overcropping staple food plants, including willow and elderberry. For this reason, it is important to keep elk herds from becoming too large in relation to the available food supply.

Hunting Characteristics: