Can An Elk Last 20 Years in the Wild?
December 9th, 2006 David King - King's Outdoor World
Many of us know that finding an elk that has lived in the wild for 12 years is quite unique. I remember back in 2003 when Brian Gilson shot the “then” Utah state record typical, his bull was aged at 12 years old. Some of the big bulls that are being taken down recently are big mature elk over the 10 year mark. But when Wyoming elk hunter Terry Fass shot a cow elk up the West Fork of the Smith’s Fork he had no idea the elk was tagged during a research project 19 years ago. Wyoming Game and Fish Department records indicate the elk was captured April 15, 1987 on the Bald Range and a metal tag placed in her ear. The cow elk was already an adult at that time.
Depending on their limiting factors (disease, predators, weather, loss of habitat, etc.) elk may live more than 20 years in captivity and average 10 to 13 years in the wild.
Green River Wildlife Supervisor Steve DeCecco sheds a more philosophical light on the the cow elks journey.
“Wherever this elk was tagged, she managed to evade death for twenty-something years,” DeCecco said. “Rarely do we see elk reach 20 years of age in the wild. I’d like to think about the genetic and behavioral contributions this cow elk made to the health of the Uinta Elk Herd. I know elk are adapted for their habitats, but this a feat.”
“We don’t always get to see results of our wildlife research projects. This is an example where we were able to use tools and technology available for wildlife management twenty years ago and know that it works.”
Link: WY G&F
Entry Filed under: News and Stuff
3 Comments Add your own
1. Jesse Palmer, Wildlife Biologist, White Mountain Apache Tribe | December 11th, 2006 at 10:16 am
In 2004 a bull was harvested on the White Mountain Apache Reservation that was aged by Matson’s Laboratory at 21 years old. This bull still gross scored 349. The average age of the roughly 225 bull elk harvested annually on the Reservation is 8.5 years. The average age of Boone & Crockett bulls harvested on the Reservation is 11.5 years old.
2. Coby Christensen | December 11th, 2006 at 12:50 pm
There is word going around that a cow elk was shot down here on the San Juan unit that still had its original ear tag in when there were first transplanted. If that is the case, the cow elk could very easy be 20 years old.
3. On the Prawl | December 13th, 2006 at 1:17 pm
I believe it, while hunting horns in the spring we have found old bulls and especially cows that their teeth are worn down to nothing.
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