Recreational Opportunities How Can I Help? provide many opportunities for Elk are a valuable resource in Califor- recreational enjoyment, including viewing, nia—one that will be here for future genera- natural history study, photography and tions to enjoy, but only if properly managed. hunting. The key to appreciating By joining the Founda- Elk California’s elk is personally experiencing tion (RMEF), you can maintain and enhance the habitat in which elk and other wildlife this resource, which represents all that is live. From butterflies to bald eagles, wild and free across the West. RMEF has California’s elk habitat supports an im- created an opportunity for a diverse group mense variety of and plants which of outdoor enthusiasts to channel their can still be enjoyed even if you don’t spot energy towards a common goal—habitat the wily elk. Experience the mystique and conservation for elk and other wildlife. bachelor herd. Photo by Frederic Silva. majesty surrounding this great next RMEF members have completed projects time you enter California’s elk country. in California to help elk gain a better foot- Elk Management: hold on the future. Yet the task is far from complete. Every day, the constant demands A Cooperative Effort of a growing human population place Many agencies are involved in manag- increasing pressure on elk and other wild- ing and protecting California’s elk. The life. RMEF is cooperating with public agen- Department of Fish and Game is respon- Places to View Elk cies and private individuals to make sure sible for managing the animals, while the in California California autumns will forever ring with the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land eerie bugle of the majestic bull elk. Management manage much of the land If you are interested in conserving that supports elk. Private, nonprofit Grizzly Island Wildlife Area Tule elk California’s wildlife for future generations, organizations like the Rocky Mountain Elk Near Fairfield, Solano County or are simply interested in learning more Foundation raise money to assist state (707) 425-3828 about California’s elk, please contact: and federal agencies in these efforts. Owens Valley Tule elk Tule elk management is a conserva- Near Bishop, Mono County Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation tion success story. As of 2004, the state- (760) 872-1171 2291 W. Broadway wide population had increased to approxi- PO Box 8249 Tule Elk Preserve Tule elk mately 3,700 tule elk in 22 different Tupman, Kern County Missoula, MT 59807-8249 herds. Several herds can now sustain a (661) 764-6881 1-800-CALL-ELK strictly controlled harvest to keep animals (1-800-225-5355) in balance with their habitat. Whether a Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Roosevelt elk www.rmef.org Near Orick, Humboldt County herd can be hunted depends on annual (707) 464-6101 ext. 5301 calf survival, natural adult mortality California Department of Fish and Game (predation, disease, etc.) and habitat San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Tule elk Elk Program quality and quantity. Los Banos, Merced County 1812 Ninth Street A Summary of (209) 826-3508 California’s elk are recovering. In less Sacramento, CA 95814 Their Natural History than 75 years, pioneers nearly extermi- Elk are wild and are therefore unpredictable. Do (916) 445-3684 nated elk from the state and now, because not provoke or harass them by approaching too www.dfg.ca.gov and Management of careful management, these magnificent closely. Bring binoculars to observe them best. animals will survive into a new century. California’s Elk History Elk Facts Given the right habitat, elk herds grow California is the only state that is home It is likely that nearly 500,000 tule elk Elk are herbivorous (plant eating) and rapidly, sometimes to the point of seri- to three of the four subspecies of North occupied California prior to the mid-1800s. consume a wide variety of plants. They ously damaging their food supply and, American elk: Roosevelt, Tule and Rocky One report, from an early explorer de- prefer grasses and forbs, but eat shrubs to ultimately, their ability to survive. Mountain. scribed nearly 2,000 elk in a single herd in meet nutritiounal needs during specific Unmanaged herds can also cause consid- Roosevelt elk, native to forests and the San Joaquin Valley! times of the year. In areas with harsh erable damage to agriculture, gardens and mountains of California’s Coast and Cas- Humans have dramatically altered elk winters, elk restrict their movements to golf courses. Elk have been relocated to cade mountain ranges, are found from range and habitat in California. Early smaller areas that provide necessary food, temporarily solve some of these problems. northern Mendocino County to the Oregon Spanish explorers brought domestic live- Relocation elk has also been used to border. They are the largest elk subspecies stock, along with non-native grasses that reestablish elk populations in their former and the largest native land in replaced the native vegetation elk depended range. However, elk relocation projects are California. on for food. The California gold rush led to very expensive, and finding suitable Tule elk are found only in California. unregulated market shooting, additional habitat is often difficult. Much of their They are the most specialized elk in North conversion of native habitat to agriculture, former range no longer supports elk America, and inhabit the oak woodlands and competition with domestic livestock, because of residential and agricultural and grasslands of central California. which devastated elk populations. By 1875, development, or because of potential Roosevelt elk Rocky Mountain elk, the second largest the tule elk population was reduced to conflicts with California’s rapidly expand- calf. Photo by ing human population. Elk need large and most numerous elk subspecies nation- perhaps as few as two Anne Laird. wide, were introduced into Kern, Monterey animals, located in one areas of land providing food, cover and and Shasta counties in California from small portion of the San water. Balancing the needs of wildlife with Yellowstone National Park beginning in the Joaquin Valley. people is an increasingly complex task. early 1900s. Roosevelt elk herds Who needs the habitat more?

Current Elk In addition to relocation, wildlife managers have used a carefully controlled Distribution hunting program and use of surgical implants to keep elk populations in balance with their habitat. cover and water. Their most actives times of the day to feed are just before dawn, and two to three hours before sunset. Male elk, or bulls, grow massive antlers that are shed annually. Large antlers are important status symbols and identify dominant bulls. During spring and sum- mer, bull elk feed extensively to maximize body size, antler growth and fat reserves also suffered from market shooting and for the fall breeding season. Although cow environmental changes. Once ranging from elk do not grow antlers, they still require San Francisco Bay northward, Roosevelt elk plenty of high-quality food and water to were eliminated from the southern portion maintain pregnancy and successfully raise of their range during the mining and log- their calves, which are usually born be- Roosevelt elk bull with harem. Tule elk bull. Photo by Greg Gothard. ging eras. tween May and June. Photo by Don Jackson.