Elk, The Interesting Deer!

By Chan Copeland

Elk, often referred to as Wapiti, is one of the biggest deer species in North America. The sole deer species which is bigger is the Moose in North America. Related to the red deer in Europe, Elk is massive game that can make for exhilarating hunting expeditions.

You will find Elk living close to rivers and lakes and they tend to be very protective of their particular territory during rut. In the course of rutting season, bucks will mark their own territory as well as challenge various other adult males to a fight in order to catch the attention of females for reproduction.

The adult males are called bulls and the females are cows. The cows average about 500 lbs and the bulls are usually about 25% bigger than the females.

Elk meat has lots of protein and is known to taste something between venison and beef. Elk meat is lower in fat than chicken or beef and higher in protein. It is extremely high in zinc, phosphorus, and iron.

Four species of elk remain in North America. They include Rock Mountain, Roosevelt (C. canadensis roosevelti), Tule (C. canadensis nannodes), Manitoben (C. canadensis manitobensis) Two species, Merriams's (C. canadensis merriami) and Eastern Elk (C. canadensis canadensis) both have been classified as extinct for a century.

Elk hunting season varies from state to state and is generally a very brief time frame. It can frequently take an advanced hunter seasons, months, and even years to track elk. Elk can be challenging to locate and are not in the same area long periods of time.

Some of the highest quality elk hunting is based in the Colorado area as well as the Rocky Mountains. Be sure to be sensible and keep your eyes wide open, a angry elk isn't no petite deer to play with. Having a rack as broad as your car a huge elk can inflict some serious damage on you if you get too close. - 31490

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