Elk photos and questions

[nemesis256]

I was in Yellowstone in June and photographed a lot of elk. But I now have some questions about determining the sex/age.

In the first attachment, I assume it's a bull that was born last year and is just starting to grow antlers. By the fall, he would be called a "spike bull". Please correct me if I'm wrong.

The last two I have no idea about. You can see that there is a small bump/space for antlers, but there are none yet. Have they just not started to grow yet? Or is it a cow?

[buglinbilly]

The cow shown below is a mature cow. Notice how she is filled out more than the young yearling in your photo.



Elk have calves in late May or early June.

They are born with spots to help camouflage them but by late summer most have lost their spots and taken on the normal elk coat. I happened to watch the birth of the calf shown below in Idaho a few years back. It photo was taken when it first stood on its wobbly legs.



By age one they are called yearlings. The bulls usually grow spike antlers like the photo you posted, but and also have one or even two of the antlers that are branched. They are usually referred to as a two point or spike two point, even though both are really spikes (antlers as yearlings). The females are called cows and grown no antlers. The first picture you posted was of a spike and the second two is a yearling cow.

About 80 percent of male yearling end up with single spikes like the elk showen below.



About 20 percent of yearling bulls will grow antlers that branch on either one or both antlers like the spike shown below.



In their second year most bulls will be either 3. 4.or 5 points bulls and most are referred to as "raghorns".



By age 4 or 5 most bulls are reaching full maturity and will look similar to the bull below.



By age 6 or 7 they have reached full maturity and their antlers have maxed out.



Have a good one. BB

[nemesis256]

Thanks for the detailed post! One more question though. What are the small bumps on the head of the cow in my last two photos?

[buglinbilly]

I guess I have too old of eyes to see any bumps on your photo. But if they are there and the hair is parting, and it was early June and not late June, then it could be a spike bull, growing its first set of antlers. If it was late June, I doubt if it's a bull.

Have a good one. BB