The elk is also known as the wapiti , a Shawnee word meaning white deer . When they first saw elk, the early settlers thought the animals were moose, so they called them elk which is a British word for moose. Both bull and cow elk have a distinctive light-colored rump patch.
Bulls can stand as tall as five feet at the shoulders.
Elk tracks are longer and more robust than those of deer. Scat is similar to deer scat, but much larger. It can be inch long. Elk also leave distinctive wallows where they dig into the ground with their hooves and antlers and wallow in the dirt. During rutting season, elk will tear apart shrubs and saplings with their antlers.