Ah, the magnificent elk. They are part of life here in the Pacific Northwest. Elk are beautiful and graceful creatures. Native to the west side of the Cascade Mountains from British Columbia, Canada to California they are the largest animal in the deer family and one of the largest land mammals in North America.
Elk shed their antlers every year and are collected and used in artwork and furniture. When their antlers grow back in the spring they are covered in "velvet" and is eventually shed. Elk migrate to the higher mountains in the spring and come back down the mountains in the fall for food when the snow covers the ground.
In Yellowstone National Park elk herds number 200,000 and their migration to the southern regions of the park is the longest elk migration in the continental U.S.
A few years ago as I was driving down out of the Cascades a female elk was grazing next to the road. She was a Roosevelt elk, the largest kind of elk. As I passed her I looked out of the passenger window and all I saw was her legs! The bottom of her belly was higher than my car!
I hope you enjoy these elk images
Click on image to download
Click on image to download
Enjoy!
