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| Even before man came along, wild elk roamed throughout the temperate areas of North America. As agriculture took over, elk were limited in their range. North American Elk, also known by the Shawnee name "Wapiti" meaning white rump, are the largest of the Cervid animals. They do resemble a white-tail deer, but are much larger in size. Mature cows will weigh between 550-650 pounds and a bull may weigh over 1000 pounds when reaching maturity.
Females of the Elk Family are known as cows, males as bulls and the young offspring as calves. Their average productive life span can be as long 24 years for an elk cow and 14 years for a bull. Elk are ruminant animals with a four chambered stomach. These animals require large amounts of plants and forages in their diet to remain healthy. They are both a grazer and a browser, consuming large amounts of grasses and legumes as well as leaves and twigs from trees. These in combination with a specially formulated diet will result in optimum growth and production. Elk are versatile animals, and well-suited to a great variety of farmlands and management strategies. These majestic creatures are successful in rolling pastures or on highly productive intensive grazing operations, on wide-open ranches or virtual feedlots. By naming towns and counties after these magnificent animals, settlers showed their appreciation for the elk in former times. A quick look at the atlas shows names such as: Elk Grove, California |
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