The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-11-27
THE AMERICAN ELK
BY ERNEST HAROLD BAYNES.

THINK Of deer as tall as a sixteen
hand horse, with head, neck and
chest of a rich dark brown body
a light yellOwish brown, with a yellow
! lsh-White area on the rump about the
/ base or the tail, and crowned with a
PAIR Of massive brown antlers, perhaps
sixty inches long and with six sharp
tines apiece, and you will have a fair
int ntaI, picture OF a full-grown male
elk, as he appears in the fall and win
ter. The female. or doe. has much the
same appearance, except that she has
no antlers at any season of the year
I To my mind, the elk is the most kinglv
OF deer, not excepting the moose which
Is larger and heavier
Years ago, the elk was found i'm ali
the northern states and in Canada.
and along the mountain ranges. much
further to the south. But. owing to
the advance of civilization and many
less noble causes. this splendid animal
has disappeared from many parts Of
Its former range, and is practically ex-
tinct east of the Mississippi river. In
fact. it is now abundant in but one To-
caiity-the Yellowstone national park
and the country Immediately surround
ing it. 1t is altogether probable that
within few years it will disapIyear
from all other parts of the country.
unless it is quickly protected by much
better laws that are now in force.
Many elk are butchered for their meat.
but the craze for mounted heads. and
the barbarOus demand for elk teeth TO
be worn as insignia by members of the
order of Elks. are responsible for the
slaughter of many of these great crea-
lures every year.
At my home near the Blue Mountain
forest game preserve we hear every
night a sweet-tOned long drawn
whistle or bugle note, which is the
chalieT &c call of the male elk. which
he delivers through his open mouth.
and with his head thrown back some
times the call is answered by a rival
stag, and the two viii come together
and fight for mastery and for the own
ershlp of herd. Sometimes I steal
out into the forest and watch a band
OF these great creatures in the dusk
or in the moonlight, and perhaps ]
come upon them feeding on the fallen
apples in some ancient orchard From
time 10 time the stag viii throw back
his head, and the lOng-draWn whistle
viii go echOing through the hills. and
at the end there is often a series of
braying notes which are much less
pleasing, and which suggest those Of a
donkey, Sometimes, when there are
no apples on the ground, the male will
thrust his long antIers up among the
branches and shake a lot down. and /
believe that he does this Intentionally.
But as often as not. the elk will be
aware OF my presence before I can get
glimpse Of them, and T find every
mead turned straight towards me.
, their great ears stuck out on either
side. drinking in every sound l make.
Tney seem inqUisitive and # I keep
perfectly stil they viii stand for some
time asrigid as statutes By and bv
one OF the does viii become uneasy
and take a few strides before turning
10 watch me again. Then, after looking
IN silence for another minute. she de-
Ivers a loud, somewhat shrill bark.
which might be fairly represented in
English by the word Waugh" This
call usually has a tone of suspicion i'm
1t; II is a warning not only 10 other
elk, but 70 deer, foxes and many other
FOREST creatures. which usually make
( for cover at once. Sometimes it is re-
peated, either by the same elk or bv
another one. and as rule the whole
I band makes off at a good pace. the
{ stag bringing up the rear, and often
/ turning half round, as though warning
/ his enemies not to hurry him. And un-
/ loss fully armed, il is well TO take The
/ hint, for a savage @bun" elk is about
| as dangerous a brute as ever Killed a
/ man for the Joy Of killing him. I have
! been told by experienced hunters tina
! on an open plain and. unarlned hey
( would sooner face q wounded tiger
1 than savage elk The insane nature
! OF an elks fury. they say. would pre-
I Glide all possibility Of escape. If there
are trees about, man stands good
cEance; that is, IL he knows anything
! OF the ways Of elk. A savage stag gives
of lie
tons. If he sees his intended victim
/ az a distance, he does not rush at him
| wildly, like a mad bull. but SLOWLY
saunters over, stopping now and then
10 nibble the grass perhaps. acting as
! though he had never even seen the
| man, but gradually Ieesening the dis
lance between them. When fairly
close. he raises his head. lays back his
/ ears and lips, and. with an ugly grim
ace, strides slowly, but steadily. for
/ ward, shaking his antlers as though
I in play. If there is a tree near. the
man had best lose no time in getting
! into II, for the elk may come the last
few yards like a whsrlwind and stab
( him 10 death with almost inconceiv-
/ able fury. OF course. all male elk are
! not savage. and those which are are
! dangerous only in the fall and winter.
( After dropping their horns. AZ they do
! usually IN March tnelF disposition be-
comes comparatively mild and re-
/ mains so until the following autumn.
! In April the new horns begin to ap-
] pear looking at first like tNO big
/ brown tomatoes. which gradually
/ leugthen and branch out reaching
7 their full length in June But even
/ then they look very little like the dan
I gerous weapons OF October. for they
are blunt. soft and would bleed freely
/ II injured. Moreover, they arc covered
/ all over with hairy skin. and are
/ said TO be in the velvet" AT this time
! of the year, the animals look in bad
condition. as they are shedding their
winter coats Gradually the antlers be-
! gin to shrink. becoming sharp at the
tips and hard All over. and in August
! the velvet" is rubbed or against con
Vcnient trees. By October The ami
mails have acquired their new winter