April News

April

April is a welcomed time of the year for elk in Colorado. The cold usually breaks in March but snow continues to fall wet and slushy. That gives way to warmer days and growing grass. Elk feed on over 80 types of grasses. Like most plants, grasses hide their nutrients underground during winter. You’ll find elk nibbling on new grasses in April. It seems to be everywhere. Those areas that receive more sunlight but aren’t too dry are good areas to check out. Open parks with a South or Eastern exposure. The grass grows fast this time of year.

Elk appear to be very worn out this time of year. Their winter hair is messed up, falling out in clumps and the animals appear skinny. You’ll find dead elk in the fall (around November), a few in winter and more in early spring. Only the strong survive the winters.

Elk eat just about everything they can chew during winter. Aspen tree bark, willows, leaves, dried grasses and plants. Elk will even eat pine needles. They move around less to conserve energy. However, when April rolls around they primarily eat the grasses that are sprouting up.

April is also a great time to take a friend or the family out hiking. Keep an eye out for antlers the bulls have shed. This is an amazing transformation time of year. Bulls are larger with thick, dark brown necks. They stand out among other elk. Without antlers it could be tricky determining if the elk you are looking is a bull or not. Check the top of its head. Is it sprouting new antlers already? Are the old antlers still on?

Humans lose their baby teeth just once in a lifetime. Elk lose their antlers every year. It’s one of the fastest growing tissues in nature. Much like a baby tooth, the old antler becomes loose and falls off. Big elk lose their antlers first because of many factors. Hormone levels are the reason for the changes that make antlers fall off. Also the weight or size of the antler helps it pop off. Some large antlers can weigh 10-20 pounds each! You’ll notice spike bulls with antlers on much longer, sometimes with velvet still on them. Remember when you lost your first tooth? It was a big experience. Sometimes painful, other times easy. Elk go through a similar experience. When the old antler comes off the other follows soon after but could be miles away depending on the bull’s daily patterns. Don’t push an elk during this time of year. Back off and observe. It’s a big release to lose an antler and if the bull is pressured it could get stressed and not recover. Some elk even die after shedding their antlers. It’s a shame they make it all the way through winter to die in the spring from complications or just old age.

Look for antlers around where the elk live in April. Remember all that green grass? Well the elk sure do. That’s a good place to start. Feeding area, open meadows and bedding areas. That could be almost anywhere so you’ll have to know the daily patterns of elk. To and from feeding areas is a good place to start. In Colorado elk will follow the snowmelt to the top of the mountain. Taking months to reach the top. Remember the elk are hungry this time of year for better food than winter provides. They can walk miles a day and not even get tired. They love to graze and they enjoy fresh water this time of year. Look for those areas when you are out hiking.

This is a great time of year to be outdoors. The weather is nice, the days are longer, the plants are all turning green and the birds are singing. If you are ever up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in May you can participate in the annual antler auction <http://www.jacksonholenet.com/stories/antlrauc.htm>.