An elk is said to move about five miles from its primary habitat for many reasons, most unknown to man. This movement is neither limited to day or night; however, their roaming in daylight is somewhat more cautious. The finding of how far Elk traveled in a day is thanks to a handful of researchers who combined their results and came up with a familiar figure.
Depending on the habitat region and climatic characteristics, the distance each travel in a day is inconsistent. The main reason for this is that each area has its unique elements that take a toll on influencing the overall behavior. Usually, they always return to their habitat after their daily strolls.
How to Know How Far Elk Travel
Cameras
Without a doubt, the impact that modern technological advancements have had on our day to day hunting activities is enormous. Researchers and dedicated hunters are at liberty of placing quality cameras at strategic points of the wild. This equipment then runs full time, recording every inch of action in its range. Its owners finally collect it after an agreed interval recording and analyzing their findings.
In elk related causes, the cameras will be placed in areas highly likely to be populated by elk, making the greater observation of the said species. When the hunter is not around the area during the night and day, the camera will still keep track of all the concurrent activities. Since there is more than one of the pieces, herd activity will be flowing from one angle to the other of a later camera.
It may not be the best approach to collect your recordings as it is susceptible to climatic conditions. Taking into account where elk inhabit, fog and heavy rainfall may affect your visuals’ quality. Also, elks have an intense nose and can spot human scent in the distance; hence, if your camera stinks human odor, its chances of being destroyed or avoided is high, resulting in less viable findings.
Radio Collars
Another item brought to us by technology is radio collars. These collars can either be internal or external, but the former is most common since it is cheaper and easier to install. They operate at a range, recording almost everything, including its temperature, heartbeat, and other aspects.
Placing of this equipment requires knowledge based on elk groupings as you only put it on one of the members of a respective herd. Most of the time, researchers opt for the most robust since its survival skills are higher than most. Once attached, recordings are made concerning the collected results daily.
They not only provide us with how far the elk traveled but also in which direction and at what speed. Elks are not known to rush; they take their time while scaling up the sloppy mountains feeding on rummage. However, this changes if escaping a predator of any form of danger, as it takes on high speeds to save its life.
Observation of Their Remains
Since elk inhabit different areas, it is common to have distinctive characteristics influenced by their habitat. The color and thickness are the most common approach of differentiation; those living in colder areas have thicker and darker coats. It then brings us to our subtopic, by observing a dead carcass of an elk, you can tell its habitat.
If the animal is not from around your locality, finding where it is from will be a huge step to take. Some elks are known to cross borders while migrating, meaning that distance covered per day is enormous. Death in between the journey is expected, and the herd has no option rather than leave it behind for scavengers.
Why Do Elk Travel?
Food and Water
Like every other living organism, elks do prioritize food and water. With these daily strolls, they take their time to feed and visit the water point at least twice a day. The water point is among the most dangerous trips since predators and hunters tend to set camp nearby. Keeping this in mind, they go to water points early dawn or late in the evenings.
A significant percentage of the day is spent on feeding and walking, while the other is used to rest. It is correct to assume that it takes up vast amounts of vegetation before becoming full, considering the massive and robust build of elk.
Survival
Also, elks travel to ensure that their lifespan is not cut short by any aspect whatsoever. Life-threatening instances in the wild include predator killings, diseases, or natural catastrophes. The species might find it best to relocate to a safer ground rather than perish its current habitat. The food coverage and water capacity may also be critically low to support the entire herd; hence it moves.
Migration
Migration is common in almost every wild animal as they move on to better habitats for a certain period over a long distance. It is mainly dependent on climate seasons, through which animals are configured to have an understanding of. The winter is when weather is harsh and intolerable, hence the elk moves to higher grounds for better coverage and food.
It is at this time that they move furthest and can travel up to 50 miles a day.
Mating
Since elks live in mono-sexual herds, the females and males are not in contact. With this formation, both sexes will have to look for each other during the mating season to copulate. The use of grunts and bellows proves practical, and bulls always find themselves several cows to mate with before the end of the season.
Conclusion
Five miles might not seem like a great distance compared to an elk’s body size; however, it is the average. As you would expect, the distance is not consistent as some travel greater distances than others, depending on their location. During the next hunting season, if you are an elk enthusiast, take a keen observation of its movement patterns.
