In the winter, elk travel to lower elevations with less snowfall to cover forage. In the summer, they return to the higher elevations and cooler weather. Habits Elk may be seen throughout the day, but they are most active at night or during dawn and dusk. They lay low during the hottest part of the day, seeking shade and cool locations. Elk are herbivores, meaning they feed on plant material.
Elk eat new growth on shrubs, woody vegetation, grasses and other herbaceous plants.
Elk chew their cud, meaning food is regurgitated and chewed over and over until it is broken down enough to be passed through the intestinal track. From August through November, bulls join herds of cows and calves from which they have been separated during the summer. During this time, the males engage in rutting behavior in which the males joust for dominance, bugle, wallow in the mud or water, and urinate on plants that they then toss onto their antlers. Biologists think that this activity makes the bulls more fearsome to other bulls and more attractive to potential mates. One bull may have a harem of fifteen to thirty cows, but some may have up to sixty.