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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



ters of animals. Further safeguards are 

 needed to place the Wyoming elk herds 

 beyond the reach of winter starvation. 



In addition to the wild herds, there are 

 .a considerable number of elk in private 

 ^ame preserves and parks, as well as in 

 nearly all the public zoological parks and 

 .gardens of this country. The herds in 

 .captivity form the nucleus from which, 

 ■under wise management, some of the 

 former ranges of this animal may be re- 

 stocked and from which a profitable 

 business of growing elk venison for mar- 

 ket may be developed. At the present 

 time this species affords a most promis- 

 ing field for ventures in breeding for 

 profit. 



HABITS OF ELK 



The elk is both a browsing and a graz- 

 ing animal. While it eats grasses freely 

 and has been known to subsist entirely 

 upon pasture, it seems to prefer a mix- 

 ture of grass and browse. 



The elk is extremely polygamous. The 

 adult bulls shed their antlers annually in 

 March or April, and new ones attain 

 their full size in about ninety days. The 

 ^'velvet" adheres until about August. 

 While the horns are growing the bulls 

 usually lead solitary lives; but early in 

 September, wdien the horns are fully 

 matured, the mating season begins. 

 Fights for supremacy then take place, 

 and the victor takes charge of as many 

 cows as he can round, up and control. 



Although the elk -is less prolific than 

 the common deer and some other species 

 that have been bred in parks, it increases 

 fully as rapidly as the common red deer 

 of Europe. Moreover, it makes up for 

 any lack of fecundity by its superior 

 hardiness and ease of management. It 

 has been acclimatized in many parts of 

 the world, and shows the same vigor and 

 ■hardiness wherever it has been trans- 

 planted. In Europe it has been success- 

 fully crossed with the Altai wapiti and 

 the red deer, and in both instances the 

 ■offspring were superior in size and gen- 

 -eral stamina to the native stock. 



The flesh of the elk, although some- 

 what coarse, is superior in flavor to most 



venison. That of the bulls is in its best 

 condition about the time the velvet is 

 shed. In October their flesh is in the 

 poorest condition. As the open season 

 for elk is usually in October and Novem- 

 ber, and only bulls are killed, it follows 

 that hunters often obtain the venison 

 when it is poorest. The meat is not best 

 when freshly killed, but should be left 

 hanging for four or five days before it 

 is used. 



ELK FARMS 



With few exceptions the early attempts 

 to domesticate elk were made by men 

 who were wealthy enough to disregard 

 all thought of profit in raising them. 

 They were usually placed under the care 

 of servants, and the bucks were left un- 

 castrated until they became old and 

 unmanageable. Soon the serious problem 

 of controlling them outweighed the nov- 

 elty of their possession, and one by one 

 the attempts at domestication were aban- 

 doned. 



A desire to preserve this important 

 game animal has caused a renewal of 

 attempts to breed it in confinement, and 

 at present there are small herds under 

 private ownership in many places in the 

 United States. The Biological Survey 

 has recently obtained much information 

 from owners of herds in regard to their 

 experience in breeding and rearing the 

 animals, and also their opinions as to the 

 possibility of making the business of rais- 

 ing them profitable. Of about a dozen 

 successful breeders, nearly all are of the 

 opinion that raising elk for market can 

 be made remunerative if present laws 

 as to the sale of the meat are modified. 



One especially important fact has been 

 developed by the reports from breeders. 

 It is that the elk readily adapts itself to 

 almost any environment. Even within 

 the narrow confines of the paddocks of 

 the ordinary zoological park the animal 

 does well and increases so that periodi- 

 cally the herds have to be reduced by 

 sales. 



The fullest reports that have been re- 

 ceived by the Department of Agriculture 

 from breeders of elk are from George 

 W. Russ, of Eureka Springs, Ark. 



