The most distinctive color feature is the rump patch which is pale whitish or cream color sometimes it appears to be almost yellow , It has been describe by hunters as football pants when seen from a distance because it so much resemble the shape of a football players pants. Adult bulls have been weighed in as high as 1,100 pounds , but 700 pounds is about the average for a prime adult bull. Around 500 pounds is the average for an adult female. Female Elk , have no antlers the bulls began to grow their antlers in late May. Carried through the winter season , the antlers are shed the middle of March.
Elk are noisy animals by wildlife standards.
They have been described as squealing , barking , roaring , and bugling. Cows and calves communicate with a bleating sound and when alarmed often emit a high pitched squeal. Adult Elk when excited or startled may voice an explosive grunt similar to a horse bark. Both cows and bulls are known to bugle , but the bugle of an adult bull Elk is far more distinctive then a cows , a shrill high pitched whistle , clear and far carrying in its intensity. The sound of the cow is a combination of squeal and groan , which occasionally drops to a series of low short whines.