Spring On the Move Lengthening days, warming temperatures, and melting snow all signal the start of spring movement for many elk in the Rocky Mountain region. They follow the melting snow to find newly exposed fresh vegetation at increasingly higher elevations. This migration may take only a few days or it may go on for two months. Bulls begin to migrate first. They move more quickly and to higher elevations than cows and young elk.
Cows often begin migrating before they give birth to their calves.
They may return to the same range every year, using similar routes and river crossings. They stop to give birth and allow their young to grow for several weeks. By late June or July, they've resumed moving into higher country where they will find rich summer food. Not all elk migrate. If they have enough food, water, shelter and space, they may stay in the same area year round.