This is a big advantage for some reasons, but you have to wonder when you're carrying those calves in out of a blizzard. Calving difficulties are very rare in well-managed elk herds. Selection for increasingly larger bulls and luxury feeding programs can lead to difficulties. Because elk cows are usually very stressed by an assisted birth, a bottle-fed calf is generally the result. Herd health management for cattle and elk is somewhat similar with some key differences.
Elk are susceptible to most of the diseases that trouble cattle, but less so.
As mentioned before, elk are much closer to nature than are cattle. In nature, individuals or bloodlines that tend to succumb to disease are quickly wiped out. Even if the disease does not kill directly, it weakens the animal to the point that predators or exposure does the job. Thus, the weak or susceptible genetic makeup is removed from the population. With domesticated livestock, we develop vaccines and antibiotics to fight disease and keep our animals healthy and breeding.