#Elk hunting Patch

With native elk having been extirpated, the closed season imposed by the territorial legislature in 1893 was too little too late. The calf is dark russet colored with white spots on the back and sides.ДЄs with many game species in Arizona, elk hunting has had its ups and downs. There is little to no undercoat, giving the animals a sleek, muscular appearance.Д¬alves are born from late May to early June after an 8 to 8 ВЅ month gestation. In summer, the coat becomes a deep reddish brown. While the female is usually somewhat lighter, both sexes have heavy dark manes.

#Elk hunting Patch

In winter the head, belly, neck and legs are dark brown the sides and back are grayish brown and the rump patch is yellowish bordered by a dark brownish stripe. Winter range varies from 5,500 to 6,500 feet in Arizona, the pinyon-juniper zone.Д®lk have distinct summer and winter coats, which they shed in late summer and spring, respectively. Summer range varies from 7,000 feet in the mixed conifers to 10,000+ in the spruce fir-sub-alpine belt. Elk prefer the summer range, moving to high elevations early and staying until absolutely forced down by snow depth. Winter range is often the limiting factor for elk herds as only about 10 percent of their total habitat is winter range. Summer elk range is typically within a ВЅ mile of water. From these transplants, the Arizona elk population has grown to nearly 35,000 animals. In February 1913, 83 elk were released in Cabin Draw near Chevelon Creek. Between 19 more than 13,500 elk were transplanted from the Park.

The Park's herds became a reservoir for stocking breeding elk. The population low of 90,000 occurred in 1922, of these, 40,000 were in Yellowstone Park. The great reduction in elk numbers is attributable to market hunting and agriculture. Elk withstood the impacts of the western settlement better than the buffalo because they inhabited rougher terrain.

Their population was estimated to total 10 million before European man arrived. Elk were at one time the most widely distributed member of the deer family in North America вЂ“ found everywhere except the Great Basin desert and the Southern coastal plains.