June 2003 News

View June 2002 News

Well we made it. We’re well into spring and closer to summer all the time. Although it’s still winter above tree line here in Colorado you can bet the big bulls are right on the snow line. Elk tend to stay high enough to avoid most hikers. They will eat new plants that sprout up. Out from under that heavy blanket of snow that fell this past winter. It was truly a great winter for snow in our central and northern mountains. You can expect all this moisture to go a long ways in providing high quality food for elk. This spring has been perfect for the growth of big antlers. Look for bigger elk this fall!

One thing I learned this spring is that elk are eager, more alert and easy to spook once they have eaten some fresh green food. As I headed up the mountain to take pictures I noticed the cows were always a bit lower than the bulls would be. If the bulls were bordering around 9,000 feet in elevation then the cows would be around 7,500-8,000 feet. They are almost always grazing. Some of them are pregnant and the first calves should be born during late May and early June. Cows favor wet, secluded areas like creek valleys to give birth. Be careful if you are traveling through the maze of high willows in these valleys. You may run into a newborn calf hidden in the high grass and then its mother ready to stomp you! Though I’ve discovered a set of aborted twin calves on a hillside of sage brush a couple of summers ago. Cow elk seem to position themselves lower this time of year to take advantage of more food and a place to give birth.

Bulls will go as high as they can as soon as they can. I found a lot of nice bulls on Southern slopes in March-May. Where green grasses first appear. They would graze the hillside and then bed near or on the snowline. Remember it’s hard for elk to cool down and especially with those winter coats on. Bulls like to stay as cool as possible. I’m not sure how they survive the heat in states like Utah, Arizona and New Mexico but they do. Here in Colorado they have millions of places to go that are dark and cool. This time of year their range isn’t as open or available as it is in summer. So they stay very close to the snow line and follow it up the mountain as it slowly melts off.

The weather and especially spring snows will affect the pattern elk follow. Heavy snows will bring them lower. Lack of snow will find them up higher. Elk are very hungry for quality food by time spring comes around. One exception to the “look high for elk” is in the spring. Some elk will travel lower to find better food despite dangers and warmer weather. Once they’ve regained their strength they will head up to higher ground. Elk could be found lower for only about a week or not at all. Keep your eye on the weather and the snow line this time or year. It will advertise where elk are.

Once summer comes along it will be very difficult to find big bull elk. They scatter everywhere. Most spend the summer alone in quiet, remote, solitary places. You don’t normally see large concentrations of elk again until the fall when the breeding starts in mid-September. I’ve always believed the truly huge, old, wise bulls find those places where no man will travel. They return to their high, remote areas where they can be left alone to grow large antlers. These areas need to meet all the requirements a big bull needs (read about elk as prey animals here). Unless you have a lot of time off to discover these areas you’ll never get a chance to find them and visit. It takes a lot of time and effort to find such places.

Now is the time to get out and enjoy the Colorado Mountains. It’s never a bad time when you can get out and enjoy a good hike, drive or bike ride. Remember elk love the short grasses. They don’t eat the tall grasses like an all you can eat Sunday buffet. They prefer the short grasses even if it means they can only nibble on it. It could be because short grasses provide a higher quality of nutrients elk need. Look for areas that are rich in a variety of green grasses and plants. These areas are almost always creek valleys. However, partially open hillsides can also provide good browse. Never pass up a chance to look for elk in the aspens. Aspens provide the perfect habitat for all sorts of wildlife.