Elk / Wapiti    Cervux elaphus

You don't want to miss the rutting season!
He doesn't look happy, does he?	Making his mark and leaving his scent.

Wapiti is a Shawnee Indian word meaning "white deer" or "light colored deer", an apparent reference to the animal's buff-colored rump.  These majestic animals are often referred to as both Elk and Wapiti (WAH-pih-tee).

Elk are large social animals that herd together in mountain meadows and forests.  Their most distinguishing features are their brown color, buff colored rump, and in the case of the males, or bulls, the massive, branching antlers.

A bull elk’s antlers are an accessory to show his status.  During the breeding, or "rutting" season, they are used to fend off other males in an attempt to gather a harem of females to breed with. 

The distinct "bugle" of the large males also characterizes the rutting season.  Conflict between competing males rarely turns violent; instead a series of elaborate dances, mock fighting, bugling, and minor antler lock-ups determine dominance.  During the "rutting" season, each cow begins a two-day estrus during which time the dominant male breeds her.  During this time, the harem bull is in a frenzied state, often not eating or sleeping for several days at a time.  This "rutting" season lasts for a few weeks, putting much strain on the harem bull's health.  As much as 100 pounds may be lost during this frenzied time, and if that weight is not gained back by winter, the elk may die. 

Bull elk grow antlers that are shed every year.  They begin growth in early spring, when the days begin to get longer.  This lengthened daylight triggers a hormone increase, which in turn triggers antler growth.  During growth, the antlers are covered with a hairy skin called velvet, which is living tissue, supplying blood to the growing bone.  In fall, just before the rutting season begins, this velvet is rubbed off to expose the fully-grown antlers underneath.  The antlers stay attached until late winter, when they drop off to become food for rodents like mice, squirrels and woodchucks.

Declining populations of wolves and cougars have left the elk with very few natural enemies other than man.  Hunters prize the large antlers retrieved from a large male elk, and every year excursions are planned around elk populations.  "Prize hunting" and habitat destruction have lead to the extirpation of elk in Illinois.