Elk on the Monument

The Monument has released a draft environmental assessment for elk population management on the Fitzner-Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology Area (ALE). There are three documents associated with this action:

1. Draft Environmental Assessment for Elk Population Management on the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve Unit (ALE) (1.14 MB PDF File)
2. Draft Hanford Reach National Monument Elk Hunt Plan for the ALE (874 KB PDF)
3. Draft Compatibility Determination for Elk Population Management (223 KB PDF File)

The comment period closed December 18, 2005.

Elk are one of the premiere attractions on the Monument. Extirpated from the area for decades, elk were reintroduced in Yakima County and were first seen in the Rattlesnake Hills area in 1972. By 1990, the herd had grown to over 800 head; the current wintering number ranges up to 670 animals.

Rarely seen in the summer when they "head to the hills," in the winter elk are frequently seen from Highway 240. If you're lucky, you might see these majestic animals from your car. But please be careful if you stop to view them as there is only one designated pull-out along the highway, and traffic can be quite heavy when the shift ends on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

Rattlesnake Hills Elk Herd

The elk herd that uses the Monument is transient, using the Monument, central Hanford, Wahluke Slope, Yakima Training Center, and other adjacent lands lands. This constant movement of elk means that the size of the herd on the Arid Lands Ecology Area (the primary area used on the Monument) fluctuates considerably by season. In the spring and summer, approximately 150 elk are typically observed on the ALE. During the fall breeding season and with the start of Washington State hunting seasons, herd numbers range from 350-375 animals. During the winter, elk numbers can reach up to 670 animals.

According to surveys that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts:

• Herd Size (All Lands)—672 (±7) Elk
• Composition—38% Bulls, 62% Cows
• Calf Survival To The First Winter—21 Calves/100 Cows
• Breeding Population—39 Mature Bulls/100 Cows

Elk Summit

Last year the FWS and WDFW held an Elk Summit in Prosser to address the problems and concerns created by a growing elk herd. Now available online is the final report from the Summit. Click Here for a PDF of the report. Please note that the file size is 1.9 MB, so be patient while it downloads.

Elk Facts

The sound you're hearing (if you've got your speakers on) is a bull elk bugling during the fall rut.

Elk migrated to North America over the Bering Land Bridge approximately 120,000 years ago under a period when much of the world's water was locked in glaciers.

There were six subspecies of elk in North America (two are extinct). The elk on the Hanford Reach National Monument are Rocky Mountain elk.

Rocky Mountain elk are native to the Columbia Basin and the Hanford Reach National Monument. They were extirpated in the 1850's.

Elk are amazingly adaptable and can live almost anywhere—forests, deserts, mountains, and plains.

Elk eat a wide variety of plants. Their typical diet consists of grasses (year-round), woody plants (winter), and forbs (summer).

Prior to the 1800s, elk lived in every state and province except Alaska and Florida. Today, their range has been reduced to 24 states and seven provinces.

Approximately one million elk live in North America today—10% of the population before European settlement.

Washington has the sixth largest state elk popuation, with approximately 60,000 elk (Rocky Mountain and Roosevelt elk).

Only bull (male) elk grow antlers. Grown annually to display dominance for breeding, a pair of antlers can weigh up to 40 pounds.

Elk mate in autumn. Calves are born 8-1/2 months later, from mid-May through early June, depending on location.

Newborn calves weigh 35 pounds, cows typically weigh no more than 500 pounds, and bulls can reach 700 pounds and stand 5 feet at the shoulder.

Although newborn calves can walk with their mothers within a couple of days of birth, they usually stay hidden for the first couple of weeks of life.

Newborn calves have almost no scent to avoid attracting predators as they lay hidden in thick brush or tall grass.

White spots help to camouflage the calf by breaking up its outline and mimicking spots of light.

Elk are often known as "wapiti' (wäp-i-tee), a Shawnee Indian word meaning "white rump." Elk were/are important to many tribes for food, medicine and clothing.

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