Know Before You Go

© 

Elk Facts | Yellowstone Wildlife Guide

Elk are some of the most important and influential animals in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Elk have shaped the environment of the park, affecting plant growth, influencing the materials beavers use to build dams, and even impacting stream temperatures.

Now that the elk population has returned to a more sustainable number—around 5,000 rather than the 18,000 that inhabited the park pre-wolves—their influence is more positive. During the summer, 10,000 to 20,000 elk can be found in the park in multiple distinct herds.
The elk is the most abundant big game animal in Yellowstone making up more than 90 percent of the wolves’ winter diet. Many species of scavengers survive off these kills.

Elk are the same species as the “red deer” in Europe. Some Europeans use the term “elk” for moose. To avoid confusion, elk in North America are often referred to by the Shawnee name wapiti.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Female elk weigh up to 500 pounds, while massive bulls can reach a weight of 700 pounds. An elk’s coat ranges from tan in the summer to dark brown in the winter. Their coloration becomes darker around their legs, stomach, head and the shaggy mane that extends from their neck to their chest. Elk have a sandy-colored rump and a short tail. They have a stocky body and long, slender legs and can be 5 feet high at the shoulder and 5 to almost 9 feet in length from nose to tail.

Only males have antlers, which they shed in March or April. The new ones begin growing soon after the old ones drop and will weigh as much as 30 pounds per pair! The space between the tips of the antlers can be as wide as 6 feet. When males fight, they don’t stab with the antlers; instead they lock them together and wrestle, with the stronger male winning the battle. These battles rarely result in serious injuries.

HABITAT & FEEDING HABITS

Elk are grazers and browsers, feeding on grasses, sedges and forbs in summer and woody growth (aspen and willows) during the winter months. They are also “ruminants,” which means they are cud chewers with four-chambered stomachs. When they eat grasses and twigs, the plant material enters the first chamber—the rumen—where bacteria begins the process of breaking down the cellulose into fatty acids that can be digested by the elk. They then regurgitate the “cud” to chew and swallow again while at rest, at which point it goes through the other stomach chambers and gets broken down by stomach acids similar to a nonruminant digestive system.

This method of digestion has a good survival value for ruminants. They can eat a large amount of food quickly while they are exposed to predation and then take the time to digest properly in a more secluded spot.

Before the reintroduction of wolves, elk browsed so intensely on willows and aspens that those shrubs and trees had nearly disappeared. This had severe repercussions for a number of species and habitat types.

Herd Behavior

Elk are sociable animals, and summer herds can comprise of as many as 400 individuals before they break up into harems during the fall mating season. These summer herds are matriarchal and are typically dominated by a single cow. As the autumn breeding season approaches, bulls form harems consisting, on average, of six females and four young. Males fiercely defend their cows and calves, using their intimidating size to their advantage. Generally, the largest bull with the most impressive antlers is dominant. The fall rut is characterized by bugling echoing through the valleys in the early morning and late evening.

Bulls are only territorial during mating season and are otherwise not aggressive toward other elk. During the winter after the rut, elk will be found in loose groupings that may consist of all bachelors, or a mixture of adult females and young. Older males may wander alone, placing them at higher risk of predation.

Elk tend to migrate with the snowline, moving to higher ground during the summer and dropping into lower valleys with shallower snow during the winter.

REPRODUCTION

Elks mate from early September to October. Bulls use a bugling call to attract females. At 16 months old, bulls and cows are sexually mature, although young males do not typically breed due to competition with larger, more mature elk. The gestation period of a female is 249 to 262 days (between eight and nine months) and a single calf is typically produced (twins are rare). Calves weigh between 33 to 35 pounds at birth and have creamy spots and soft hooves. Mothers are very protective; they live alone and are the sole caretakers of their young for approximately 16 days, until the calf is ready to join the herd. Weaning is complete within 60 days.
See Elk on These Yellowstone Safaris
Repeater Layout : vertical-2up
Hidden Yellowstone & Grand Teton Safari 13

Hidden Yellowstone & Grand Teton Safari

A small-group exploration of Yellowstone and the Tetons as few get to experience them—scout for wildlife and discover secret places with our naturalist guides who know this region intimately.
7 Days / May–Oct
$6995
13
Photo Departures Available
Make it Custom Make it Private
Know Before You Go

Send Me Travel Emails

Get the Inside Scoop on the

World of Nature Travel

Our weekly eNewsletters highlights new adventures, exclusive offers, webinars, nature news, travel ideas, photography tips and more. Sign up today!

Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
Send Me Travel Emails
Privacy Policy
Thank you for joining our email list

Look for a special welcome message in your inbox, arriving shortly! Be sure to add naturalhabitat@nathab.com to your email contacts so you don’t miss out on future emails.

Get Weekly Updates

Our weekly eNewsletter highlights new adventures, exclusive offers, webinars, nature news, travel ideas, photography tips and more.

Privacy Policy
We're Proud of the Reputation We’ve Earned
Outside
Voted "World's Best Travel
Company"
by Outside Magazine
Outside
Natural Habitat Adventures Ranked
“Best Outfitter”
NatGeo
Voted Best Winter Trip: Natural Habitat Adventures' Monarch Butterfly Migration, Mexico
VIEW MORE AWARDS

Request Your 2023 Catalog

Discover the World's Best

Nature Travel Experiences

Nathab 2024 Catalog

Together, Natural Habitat Adventures and World Wildlife Fund have teamed up to arrange nearly a hundred nature travel experiences around the planet, while helping to protect the magnificent places we visit and their wild inhabitants.

Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
Request Your 2024/2025 Catalog
Continued - Page 2 of 2
To help us customize your catalog request, please tell us more about your travel needs:
Thank you for requesting a catalog
We’ve received your request. If you have any questions about our trips, please feel free to contact an Adventure Specialist today by calling 800-543-8917.

Get Weekly Updatess

Discover the World's Best

Nature Travel Experiences

Our weekly eNewsletter highlights new adventures, exclusive offers, webinars, nature news, travel ideas, photography tips and more. Sign up today!

Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
Send Me Travel Emails
Privacy Policy
Thank you for joining our email list!

Look for a special welcome message in your inbox, arriving shortly! Be sure to add naturalhabitat@nathab.com to your email contacts so you don’t miss out on future emails.

Send Us a Message

Send Us a Message

Have a question or comment? Use the form to the right to get in touch with us.

Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
Send Us a Message
Thank you for your message

We’ll be in touch soon with a response.

Refer a Friend

Refer a Friend,
Get $250 Off
Earn rewards for referring your friends! We'd like to thank our loyal travelers for spreading the word. Share your friend's address so we can send a catalog, and if your friend takes a trip as a first-time Nat Hab traveler, you'll receive a $250 Nat Hab credit you can use toward a future trip or the purchase of Nat Hab gear. To refer a friend, just complete the form below or call us at 800-543-8917. It's that easy! See rules and fine print here.
Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
Refer a Friend

Earn rewards for referring your friends! We'd like to thank our loyal travelers for spreading the word. Share your friend's address so we can send a catalog, and if your friend takes a trip as a first-time Nat Hab traveler, you'll receive a $250 Nat Hab credit you can use toward a future trip or the purchase of Nat Hab gear. To refer a friend, just complete the form below or call us at 800-543-8917. It's that easy! See rules and fine print here.

Thank you for the referral!

We've received your friend's information.

View Our 2023 Digital Catalog

View Our 2024/2025

Digital Catalog

Help us save paper! We offer a digital version of The World's Greatest Nature Journeys. If you'd prefer a mailed copy, please provide your contact details here. To view our digital catalog, please enter your info in the form to the right.
Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
View Digital Catalog
Happy browsing!

Thanks for requesting access to our digital catalog. Click here to view it now. You’ll also receive it by email momentarily.

Our Trips

Polar Bear Tours

Polar Bear Tours

African Safaris

African Safaris

Galapagos Tours

Galapagos Tours

Alaska Adventures

Alaska Adventures

U.S. National Parks Tours

U.S. National Parks Tours

Canada & the North

Canada & the North

Europe Adventures

Europe Adventures

Mexico & Central America Tours

Mexico & Central America Tours

South America Adventures

South America Adventures

Asia & Pacific Adventures

Asia & Pacific Adventures

Antarctica & Arctic Journeys

Antarctica & Arctic Journeys

Adventure Cruises

Adventure Cruises

Photography Adventures

Photography Adventures

Women's Adventures

Women's Adventures

Family Adventures

Family Adventures

New Adventures

New Adventures

Questions? Call 800-543-8917

Contact Us

Have a question or comment?
Click any of the buttons below to get in touch with us.

Hours
Mountain Time

  • 8 am to 5 pm, Monday - Friday
  • 8 am to 3 pm on Saturday
  • Closed on Sunday
Call 800-543-8917
Questions? Click to Chat
Questions? Click to Chat
/know-before-you-go/us-national-parks/yellowstone/wildlife-guide/elk/