Tule Elk, Point Reyes National Seashore

Photo of bull elk.
Bull Elk at Sunset

Just before sunset, a bull elk looks across a field and sees another one of those creatures with only two legs.

This is one of the biggest bulls I’ve seen at Point Reyes.  A large Tule elk bull will weigh about 600 pounds.  While that may seem fairly heavy, Roosevelt (AKA Olympic) bull elk, which inhabit coastal forests from Northern California up into British Columbia, can weigh more than 1,000 pounds.  The Rocky Mountain (AKA American) elk splits the difference.  A Rocky Mountain bull elk can weigh up to 800 pounds.   Rocky Mountain elk are by far the most numerous.

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    1. Thanks Pat. He’s the Alpha male of the herd that hangs around Drake’s Bay Road. I was out there today. He’s still with his harem of 20 or so cows. I saw the bachelor band today too. They are in various stages of losing their antlers. Some had both, some one only and some none. New buds are visible where antlers are gone. The Alpha bull has both antlers still. I’m wondering if he’ll join the other bulls when he drops his fine rack.

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