Learning about Elk

[Skipper]

I've never hunted outside the southeast, and thus have never hunted elk. However, it won't be long now until we'll have a chance to hunt them in Kentucky.

I'm a little curious as to their typical patterns in a given day? How far will they roam around? Most deer around here like everywhere else I suppose, develop a route of a few miles that they generally walk daily Do elk do the same sort of thing or are they more apt to stay in one paticular area?

I've noticed trying to photograph them that unlike deer, they don't seem to stay in the woods as much. They much seem to prefer meadows or pastures to timber. When the sun gets hot in the day, they seem to seek shade, but aren't very far off of a pasture.

Skipper

 

[Sako7STW]

Well thats some tough questions really. It would depend on the area more than anything. With never been to Kentucky it is hard to say where they would be and how they will act. In Wyoming we have some desert heards and some mountain heards and some that are both. Each have there own way of doing things.

I would say your right that Elk do prefer a nice open meadow to being in the timber. Once the hunting pressure starts and the leads a flying then they will timber up. When they do, your done, good luck getting them out. You may be able to put together some timber drives but if it is a big patch of timber they will circle you all day long.

The do tend to keep an to an aera. Unlike Deer, they seam to be less habitual. I would call them more of a social critter as well. They tend to run more in herds than do Deer.

Here they typically will not move long distances till the snow is falling and the mountain herds move to the feed grounds or lower country. The desert Elk tend to stay put.

Others my see it differently but thats my .02 worth.

 

[Skipper]

We don't have very much if any mountains that have snow on them all winter. Maybe Black Mountain, but that would have to be a cold winter. Here, they seem to be using the stip mines for grazing. Where you see deer in bottoms, you don't see many elk in them. I'm not sure if it's the distribution yet or not. We have about 4500 head which is the largest herd east of Wyoming I believe it is.

I'm not real sure, but from what I've seen from pictures, our timber is quite a bit thicker than that out west. We don't have any desert areas. Rainfall in Kentucky averages over 45 inches a year. The last 2 years we've had about 65 inches.

Most of the timber is hardwood. Oak mostly. We do have a lot of pine, or did have a lot of pine. The beetles have about killed most of it. Poplar's, and Gum make up a good portion of the mix. Here and there you find some hickory and walnut, Then comes the little stuff like the dogwoods and redbuds.

Most of the stip mines are sewed in some pretty rank and briary stuff to get it to grow. They are planting some for the elk though. It's tough to get native grasses to grow on spoil from a mine.

Skipper