Hobbies And Interests
Breeding Season
The elk breeding season, often referred to as the rut, usually begins in August. Male and female elks descend from the high altitudes of their mountain habitats and migrate to lower elevations where the rut takes place. The breeding season continues until October or November. Female elks are able to conceive for less than 24 hours in every 20-day cycle.
Male Aggression and Courtship Behavior
Male elks display their antlers as a sign of their strength and use them to wrestle with other males to assert dominance. This behavior helps males attract females during the breeding season and gives dominant males a greater choice of mates. Males vocalize loudly at this time to help females locate them and to challenge other males to fight. Just before the rut occurs, antlers may reach four feet in length. Antlers are shed in winter and begin to grow again in the spring.
Mating Habits
Once a male elk has successfully asserted his dominance wrestling with other males, he can gather a harem of as many as 30 female mates. Bulls are highly defensive of their mates. However, dominant males are unable to guard all the females in the harem at once. This means less dominant males can mate with some of the females while the dominant bull is elsewhere. Weaker and younger males often take positions close to the harem, ready to seize their opportunities.
Gestation and Birth
Female elks have a gestation period between 240 and 262 days. Toward the end of this time, the female separates from her herd and finds a safe, secluded place to give birth. Females may begin to migrate to higher elevations before giving birth; this helps them protect their newborn calves from predators. Elks usually give birth to one calf at a time, although some pregnancies result in two calves. Young elks are born from May through July.
Calves
Elk calves usually weigh between 33 and 35 pounds at birth. Although calves can stand on their own just 20 minutes after birth, their mothers keep them sheltered from predators until they are at least 10 days old. Mothers eat the placenta and any feces their calves produce to prevent predators from tracking them. Calves are most vulnerable to predators including coyotes and bears during the first few weeks of life. Adaptations such as a lack of scent and markings on their coats help calves camouflage themselves from predators.