These herds are matriarchical and are dominated by a single cow. As the fall mating season approachs, bulls form harems, which they defend with their large size and aggressive nature. After birth, the cows and their calves form nursery groups until the calves are ready to join the herd. Pairing is seasonal and pairs are not maintained throughout the lifetime of the elks. Bulls are only territorial during the mating season and are otherwise not aggressive toward other elk.
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.