Elk in the Oconoluftee and Cataloochee Valleys, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina, 2021
From visits this year to the Oconoluftee and Cataloochee valleys, I’ve learned that bulls with a herd live a busy life. For the benefit of passing on their genes, they must gather a group of cows and fend off other bulls. As the others graze, the old man spends a great deal of time chasing wandering cows and calves and returning them to the herd. All the while, he’s keeping an eye on the younger bulls in his own herd and warding off would be interlopers. Thus, during the breeding (rutting) season, as his herd grazes and grows fat for winter, the old bull spends little time grazing and a lot of time expending energy. I suppose within a few years, he will fall from his position and again be on the periphery of the herd looking in.
Alpha Male
Herding and Guarding
Wallow
Elk Wallow: While viewing elk at the Oconoluftee visitor center, we witnessed what I believe was the old bull creating a scent-wallow. First, he began digging up the earth with his antlers. Then, he added urination to the process. He would urinate, profusely, then dig his antlers into the newly wetted spot. The old fellow did this several times until it must have been rather muddy, messy, scent-saturated spot. Then, he lay down in the wallow and bugled from this position. See the process in the slides below:
For information on viewing elk in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park see https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/elk.htm. See also historical information on elk in South Carolina in the post “Elk in Cedar Creek” at Common Ground Blog.