|
ELK
Natural History
Elk (Cervus elaphus) weigh 450 to 1000 pounds, have a pale tan or brown body color with a darker mane of long hairs on the neck and a pale yellowish-tan rump patch. The tail is short whereas the legs are long, and the ears are large and conspicuous. Adult males have large antlers whereas young males have "spike" antlers.
Elk
were nearly extirpated from Colorado in 1900. Through restoration with elk from
Wyoming and progressive management, Colorado's elk population is estimated to
have increased to about 300,000 animals in 2002. Elk likely are near carrying
capacity of the habitat in some areas. Elk are found primarily in the western
two-thirds of Colorado. They are associated with semi-open forests and forest
edges adjacent to parks, meadows, and alpine tundra. They primarily browse on
grasses, shrubs, and forbs. Adult female elk usually produce one calf, whereas
twins are rare, each spring. Some elk starve during harsh winters but they
are not nearly as susceptible to starvation as are deer. Chronic
Wasting Disease is a health concern for elk in Colorado. Back
to top Benefits
Elk provide enjoyment for wildlife viewers, photographers, nature enthusiasts, tourists, and hunters. Rocky Mountain National Park is an excellent area to view elk, especially during the breeding season in September.
Elk license sales in
Colorado generated $40,000,000 during 2002. These funds are used to manage game,
non-game, and threatened and endangered wildlife. Direct and indirect expenditures
on elk and other hunting generated $383,000,000 for the economy of Colorado during
2001. Some adult elk are the preyed upon by mountain lions and some calves
are killed by black bears. In harsh winters, elk can be an important food for
scavengers such as eagles and coyotes. Back to top Conflicts
Elk cause damage by browsing on trees and shrubs in orchards, shelterbelts, nurseries, and ornamental plantings, by feeding on alfalfa and grass in fields, pastures, and haystacks, and by running through fences. Elk numbers have increased dramatically over the last several decades. The increased population of elk are having a significant impact on regeneration of aspen seedlings, especially in areas such as Rocky Mountain National Park. The Colorado Division of Wildlife paid $90,000-$190,000 annually from 1996 to 1998 for compensation for damage inflicted by elk. In addition, the Colorado Division of Wildlife paid over $370,000 in FY 1998-99 for preventive materials for all big game species, including fencing to exclude elk.
Back
to top
Solutions to Conflicts with Elk
Eight foot tall wooden panels, net-wire fencing, and 1 to 7 wire electric fencing can exclude elk. One electric wire baited with 50% peanut butter and 50% peanut oil has been successful for excluding deer from small areas and likely will also exclude elk, but 5 to 7 wires many be needed for large areas or if the food source is very desirable. Electric fencing may not be allowed in some municipalities. The Colorado Division of Wildlife provides materials to ranchers and commercial operators where elk are inflicting damage.
Circular wire or Vexar plastic mesh tree protectors can be used to protect individual plants.
Frightening with gas exploders may provide temporary relief.
Repellents can be used to deter browsing by elk. Research at Colorado State University determined that high concentrations of Hot Sauce Animal Repellent, Deer Away, coyote urine, and a solution of 1 part fresh chicken eggs mixed with 4 parts water are some of the most effective repellents. See Relative effectiveness of several repellents for additional information
on effectiveness of repellents. For vendors of repellents see Repellents.
Simulated rainfall slightly decreased the effectiveness of Big Game Repellent, (now named Deer Away), coyote urine, and the chicken egg solution when tested on deer. When elk were moderately to very hungry, even the best repellents failed to deter all browsing.
Deer warning whistles have not been shown effective for reducing deer-vehicle collisions and thus it is doubtful if these devices will reduce collisions with elk.
Live-trapping and removing elk is not practical because of significant labor and expense.
Recreational hunting can reduce elk numbers, reduce winter mortality, and can reduce conflicts.
Back to top Elk
Resistant Plants
No data are available on plants that might be resistant
to elk. However, we anticipate that elk and deer may have similar preferences,
thus see: Deer
Resistant Plants
Back to top Additional
information:
Some of these resources are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format, which requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program.
| 
