Rocky Mountain Elk – The American Elk

Rocky Mountain Elk is one of the three types of Elk found in the United States and Canada. It is commonly referred to as the American Elk, and is found west of the Mississippi river. The Rocky Mountain bull elk can easily weigh 800+ lbs. and the cow can weigh 450+ lbs. The largest herd of Rocky Mountain Elk is located in the Northwest part of Colorado.

The Rocky Mountain Elk population is closely monitored by the Wildlife management departments in each state where they are found. Hunting licenses and tags are limited in areas to keep the population at controlled levels.

Adult elk generally stay in single gender groups for the majority of the year. During the rut (mating season), mature bulls will compete for cows attention and will defend females in their harem – which often contains at least 20 cows. Bulls will make a loud vocalization called bugling. Cows are attracted to bulls that bugle the most and the loudest. Bugling is most often heard early in the mornings and late in the evenings.

In the spring, Elk generally move up to higher elevations and in the fall they will migrate back down to the lower areas. In the winter, they usually stay in the woods, favoring protected valleys where the wind is not as strong. Tree bark is their main diet during the winter months.

Rocky Mountain Elk hunting is an extremely popular sport. The season generally starts in late August and can run through early December – depending on the area. In most places, Elk Season is broken down into Archery Season, Muzzleloading Season and Rifle Season. Licenses are issued according to the specific weapon you will be hunting with. Each state will have it’s own dates for Elk season – so be sure to check a states wildlife management site for that states season dates.