Elk browse in the early morning and late evening . They are inactive during the day and the middle of the night, when they spend most of their time chewing their cud. Elk have a close association with white-tailed deer, sharing similar environments and similar habitats. Predators of elk do include the mountain lion, gray wolf, and bears. Calves may fall victim to bobcats and coyotes.
Elk prefer open woodlands and avoid dense unbroken forests.
Elk have a home range of approximately 600 square miles. Elk were originally valued by the early settlers and Native Americans as food and for their fur, teeth, hides, and antlers. Today elk are economically valuable for tourism and hunting. Elk have no special conservation status, but excessive hunting and habitat modification have lead to declines in their natural distribution and abundance. Most populations of Cervus elaphus were nearly extirpated in the 19th century.