Elk IN BRITISH COLUMBIA Ecology, Conservation and Management Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks Pushed completely from British Columbia during the last glacial advance, the adaptable Elk re-populated both the wet coast and dry interior after the ice melted. INTRODUCTION interglacial period, Elk were widespread in North Elk have been part of the North American America, including Alaska. At the height of the last environment since the ice age. These large, social, (Wisconsin) glacial advance, they became extinct in vocal animals left British Columbia completely during Alaska and were confined to areas south of the ice the last glacial advance but repopulated both the wet sheet in the United States. coast and dry interior after the ice melted. Early As the last great glaciers receded British Columbia’s explorers in eastern North 15,000 to 10,000 years ago, TAXONOMY America named this animal Elk spread northward into two subspecies of Order Elk, even though Europeans newly available habitats in Artiodactyla used the same term (spelled southern Canada. Elk, Roosevelt and (Even-toed ungulates) elch) for Moose. To avoid When Europeans first arrived, confusion, some people have North America was home to six Family Rocky Mountain, Cervidae suggested giving the North subspecies or races of Elk. Two (Moose, Elk, Caribou, American Elk the Shawnee of those, the Elk of eastern look quite similar Deer) Indian name, wapiti, but today North America and the Merriam most people continue to use Elk of the southwest United and are best Genus the term Elk to refer to the States, are now extinct. The Cervus North American forms of the remaining four are the distinguished on Species Red Deer (Cervus elaphus). Manitoba Elk of the great plains elaphus (C. e. manitobensis), the Rocky the basis of Subspecies EVOLUTION AND Mountain Elk of the Rockies nelsoni (Rocky APPEARANCE and adjacent ranges (C. e. distribution. Mountain Elk) The majestic North American nelsoni), the Roosevelt Elk of the roosevelti (Roosevelt Elk) Elk, or wapiti, belongs to the Pacific northwest coast (C. e. roosevelti) and the Tule same species as the European Elk of California (C. e. nannodes). Following the last Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) with glaciation, Roosevelt Elk moved which it can interbreed. However, north into the Fraser valley and the four living subspecies in North onto Vancouver Island, and the America, two of which occur in Rocky Mountain Elk spread as British Columbia, have been far as the Liard River area. geographically isolated from the Elk are the largest members of Eurasian races for at least 15,000 the deer family (Cervidae), except years and have distinctive for the Moose. Their main characteristics. characteristics are a brownish coat An ancestor similar to the Red with a dark mane and a white Deer probably arrived in North rump patch, large forked antlers America from Europe via the on the bulls, and large rounded Bering land bridge during the upper canine teeth (Elk tusks) second-to-last (Illinoian) in both sexes. They are the only glaciation, when sea levels were North American deer, other than lower than they are now. Fossil Caribou, that commonly form remains show that during the last large social groups. Bill Swan Mature bull Elk (four years and older) have from Vancouver Island to Quebec and southward to majestic, rich-brown antlers with ivory tips. The 110 northern Mexico, Louisiana, and Georgia. Because of to 160 cm long cylindrical beams sweep upward and land settlement and market hunting in the 1800s, Elk back over the shoulders. In addition to the tip of the became extinct in eastern Canada, the U.S. east of the antler, there are usually five other pointed tines that Mississippi River, the U.S. southwest, and northern arc forward and upward from the main beam. Mexico. By 1900, the original North American Yearling bulls usually have unbranched spike antlers, population of several million Elk fell to under 100,000. two-year-olds have a slender rack with three or four Except for a small herd in the Phillips Arm area, points on each side (often referred to as raghorns), and which probably migrated from Vancouver Island, and three-year-olds have a heavier set with four or five points. recently introduced herds near Sechelt and Powell Like other ungulates at the latitude of British River, the only Roosevelt Elk in British Columbia are Columbia, Elk have distinct summer and winter coats. the 3000 to 3500 members of the subspecies that live In winter, the head, neck, and legs are dark brown, on Vancouver Island. Rocky and the sides and back are Mountain Elk are most numerous At the time of a much lighter gray-brown. HOOF PRINTS in the east and west Kootenay Bulls tend to have a lighter, regions north to about Golden European settlement, creamier body colour than and west to Grand Forks. Native cows. The summer pelage populations also occur along the the Elk was the most is a sleek-looking, rich east slope of the Rockies and reddish-brown, with little adjacent foothills from the Wapiti widely distributed or no undercoat. During the River drainage to the Liard River, spring molt in May and with a major concentration in the hoofed mammal in June, the Elk’s coat is very Muskwa and Tuchodi River areas. ragged looking. Both sexes From 1917 to the present, Elk North America. have heavy dark manes and transplants, some from outside a yellowish-white rump patch bordered by a dark the province, have altered the distribution picture. brown or black stripe. These supplemented some existing populations and Adult bull Elk stand about 140 cm high at the resulted in new herds in several locations—southern shoulder and weigh 265 to 410 kg; cows stand about Vancouver Island, the Queen Charlotte Islands, the 130 cm high and weigh 190 to 270 kg. Sechelt Peninsula, Powell River, Princeton, Lytton, British Columbia has two subspecies of Elk, the Okanagan Lake, Granby River, Lower Arrow Lake, Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain, which look quite Williston Lake, and the Kechika River valley. similar. Roosevelt Elk are slightly larger and darker When the first explorers arrived, Elk were more than Rocky Mountain Elk, however, and the antlers widespread in the interior of the province than they of Roosevelt bulls sometimes terminate in a crown are today, but for unknown reasons, their numbers of three or four points. declined sharply in the mid-to-late 1800s. Land settlement had a relatively small impact on Elk in DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE mountainous British Columbia, but it resulted in When the Europeans came to North America, the extirpation of Roosevelt Elk on the Gulf Islands and Elk was the most widely in the lower mainland, and the loss of habitat for distributed hoofed Rocky Mountain Elk in the Peace River area and locally mammal on this in the Okanagan Valley and Rocky Mountain Trench. continent. Elk occurred Since the mid-1970s, the number of interior Rocky across southern Canada Mountain Elk in British Columbia has increased from 100 0 100 200 km about 15,000 to 40,000. About 18,000 of these occur PLENTIFUL in northern BC, 20,000 in the Kootenay region and MODERATE 1350 in the Thompson-Okanagan area. A few FEW hundred occur in other scattered herds. ABSENT LIFE HISTORY Elk are social animals. Up to 20 or more cows, calves, and yearlings live in groups that remain apart from Roosevelt Elk the smaller groups of bulls, except during the autumn Rocky Mountain Elk mating (rutting) period. Both groups have dominance annually throughout life, but pregnancy rates are lower hierarchies that they establish and maintain by various on poor ranges. Bulls are capable of reproducing as threats and displays rather than by serious fighting. yearlings, but they usually don’t get a chance to mate Elk use their front hooves as weapons most of the until they are four or five years old. Elk can live as long time, but bulls also use their antlers. Aggression may as 20 years, but most die by age 10 or 12. flare up over access to salt licks, bedding sites, wallows, Elk bulls drop their antlers from late February to or superior forage. Typically, the largest animals early April, and the oldest animals shed their antlers displace the smaller ones. Bulls of equal size also first. New antlers begin growing in April and reach full engage in sparring bouts, which are not true fights size by late August or early September. By then, the Elk but involve a methodical engagement of the antlers have rubbed off the velvet that nourished them. followed by pushing and head-twisting, then a gradual During the rut, Elk bulls do not feed, but they exert disengagement without any indication of dominance a lot of energy so that they start the winter in poor or submission. physical condition. This results in higher death rates As the mid-September rutting period approaches, in bulls than in cows and bull Elk become more active and aggressive. They seek an unbalanced sex ratio in The reverberations out the cow groups and establish harems of several favour of females. This cows that they jealously herd and guard. To advertise preponderance of cows of several bugling their prowess to prospective mates and to intimidate more or less dictates a rival bulls, they bugle, wallow, spray urine, thrash polygamous mating Elk in the autumn vegetation, and engage in other antics. Their unique system. Malnutrition bugle call starts as a low chesty roar, glides into a during severe winters is stillness of a high bugling sound, and ends in a series of grunts.