ELK / WAPITI

The elk is one of the largest species of the the deer family. They stand at around five feet tall (from hoof to shoulder) and weigh in at almost 500 kilograms. Their antlers alone can weigh 10 kilograms each, and they can measure in length and spread at four feet.

Elk live in colder climates and thrive in prairies, aspen parklands, sagebrush flats, open deciduous woodland, boreal forests, upland moors, mountainous areas and grasslands. They have diverse diets, consuming a mix of grasses, forbs and shrubs.

Why are elk important?

Elk have a direct impact on vegetation through herbivory and seed dispersal. They create wallows, and can provide an indicator of how well a certain habitat is functioning. Elk are also an important source of prey and carrion to large predators, such as brown bears.

Bugling

Elk are widely known as being the loudest of the cervids.

In autumn, the rut begins. This is where male elk engage in battle for cows to mate with. To mark their dominance or to ward off any threatening males, bulls will bugle at twilight. This phenomenon sounds like a high-pitched scream or wail.

Elk can also communicate with one another using their senses of smell, vision and touch.

Can you hunt elk?

It is legal to hunt these beautiful, majestic creatures, and people do it in one of the cruelest of ways.

Humans have created horns that mimic the bugle of the elk that you can buy.

We are getting increasingly good at mimicking their call and murdering the unfortunate elk that answers the imitated bugle.

We need to stop before it’s too late.

Too many times we have made the mistake of hunting a species until it becomes extinct. Let’s not make the same mistake again.