Winter recreation can cause problems for elk, too. Intense activity around the base of downhill ski areas can disrupt elk winter range and drive the animals to locations with insufficient food or inadequate shelter. One researcher has reported that the sudden sight of a relatively quiet backcountry skier may be more startling to elk than the roar of a snowmobile. On the other hand, wildlife managers in Idaho have seen elk move several miles away from snowmobilers traveling through their winter range. Whenever elk or any wild animal must move unnecessarily, that extra action expends energy the animals cannot afford to lose at this time of year.
Elk sometimes coexist with development in surprising locations.
For example, skiers traveling from Denver west on I-70 often see elk along the waterways that the highway follows. Along I-70 and other major highways in Colorado, high fences or special crossing areas have been built for the animals. Along smaller roads in Colorado and elsewhere, bright yellow signs warn motorists that elk may be nearby. Public information campaigns remind motorists to be especially careful at dusk and dawn, times when elk often move to and from their feeding areas. In late winter, as soon as bull elk begin shedding their antlers, people begin collecting those antlers.