Summer Elk Activity
Why the Summer Lull?
Elk tours have wrapped up for the spring season and will start again in August for the fall season. I bet time will fly for most of us and August will be here before we know it. But perhaps you may be wondering why elk tours don’t continue throughout the summer. After all, summer is typically when folks have the most time to vacation and sight see, right?
As it turns out, there are two very good reasons why elk tours are not offered over this period and both are related to the elk annual cycle. Adult female elk (cows) separate from the herd to give birth to calves late-May into June. It is a stressful time for cows, as they must protect their vulnerable calves from predation and make sure they take in enough nutrition to produce high-quality milk. Just like white-tailed deer fawns, elk calves are not strong enough to keep up with their mothers for about the first two weeks of life. So, their best strategy for protection is to find a hiding spot and bed down for extensive periods of time. They only get up when the cow arrives ready for it to nurse. This is a bizarre concept for us as human beings. We would never leave our baby unattended for a few minutes, let alone hours. But elk are prey species and calves are physically defenseless against a bear, coyote, or bobcat that may find them. So, hiding, until the calf reaches an age where it can keep up with the cow and flee from predators, is its best bet.
Newborn elk calf bedded and hiding in thick cover (Photo Credit: Jackie Rosenberger, DWR)
This is one of the most critical times of year for elk. Calf survival is essential for growth of the population and can potentially be negatively impacted by too much disturbance. Due to this vulnerability, cows are the most skittish during this period. They do not stick around when encountered, as they typically do early in the spring or throughout the fall. Similarly, male elk (bulls) are also at their most vulnerable point. They are in the process of growing a new set of antlers, which are made up of a delicate material called velvet. Antlers are important for bulls during the breeding season (fall rut) so they must be careful not to damage them as they develop. Just like the cows, this vulnerability leads to bulls being the most skittish over this period.
Bull elk growing a new set of antlers and shedding his winter coat (Photo credit: Meagan Thomas/DWR)
So back to those two reasons for the break in elk tours over the summer: 1) Limiting human disturbance during late May, June, and into July helps elk to focus on successfully raising calves, gaining much needed nutrition, and growing their bodies and antlers, and 2) Viewing opportunities are relatively poor due to the more solitary and skittish nature of the elk.
We certainly don’t want to wish our summers away, but we do look forward to elk tours picking back up in August, September, and October. Check out https://www.breakspark.com/elk-tours to book your spot.
Submitted by Jackie Rosenberger- Elk Project Lead, VA DWR
Jackie Rosenberger has been the Elk Project Leader for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources for 2 years. She is in charge of research and management of elk in the Commonwealth.Originally from Pennsylvania, she holds a B.S. Biology w/ focus on Ecology and Environmental Biology and Geographic Information Science minor from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. She also obtained an M.S. Forestry and Natural Resources with a GIS certificate from the University of Georgia. Jackie mostly worked on projects involving white-tailed deer but also engaged in black bear and elk-related field work before starting with Virginia DWR.
Jackie Rosenberger at work in the VA elk restoration zone (Photo credit: Meghan Marchetti/DWR)
