Yellowstone Wildlife - Elk
Some of the best places are along the Madison, Firehole and Gibbon Rivers. Also in the Upper Geyser basin. Also in Hayden and Lamar Valleys.
The are often seen in and around the mammoth Hot Spring area.
During the fall elk rutt look for them in Madison and Gibbon meadows and just North and East of Mammoth Hot Springs.
Elk are the most abundant large mammal species in Yellowstone, numbering about 30,000
individuals during the summer; about 20,000 remain in the park in winter. Overhunted in
the late nineteenth century, their comeback is a result of Yellowstone's prohibition on
hunting.
Bulls achieve weights of 500 to 1,000 pounds, standing up to five feet at the shoulder and
displaying magnificent antlers. Cows weigh between 400 and 600 pounds. The elk's head
is dark brown, their color is a little lighter neck to tail, and their rumps are a creamy white.
In September and October, the breeding season, or rut, begins. Bulls sound a high-pitched
"bugle" and engage in combat with other bulls over the rights to the cows, which they
gather into harems. In late fall, elk migrate to winter ranges at lower elevations.
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