Why eastern elk are bigger

[Doskil]

I was reading the other day that one major reason elk in eastern states like TN, NC and KY are bigger than elk out west is in the east elk have a steady diet of acorns and nuts to get fat on.

That would seem to make some sense.

 

[AT Hiker]

I was reading the other day that one major reason elk in eastern states like TN, NC and KY are bigger than elk out west is in the east elk have a steady diet of acorns and nuts to get fat on.

That would seem to make some sense.

Bigger as in what? Antler, weight...

A lot of the western low country elk have tons of food, but very few acorns in comparison. Plus eastern elk do not migrate like their western partners. Nor do they contend with the stresses like the western game. Could be a perfect recipe.

 

[Locksley]

Elk are good for Tennessee .

 

[tellico4x4]

Also zero winter kill in east as opposed to West. It takes a lot of very deep snow to hamper elk, but it does happen some out west. You can bet that eastern elk will always go into spring in better shape than their western kin.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Anybody remember the report from a few yearsago with TN elk dying from malnutrition? There were some low body weights in there.

 

[AT Hiker]

Anybody remember the report from a few yearsago with TN elk dying from malnutrition? There were some low body weights in there.

The smokies elk herd had some tough times I think. Is this the same thing your speaking of?

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Anybody remember the report from a few yearsago with TN elk dying from malnutrition? There were some low body weights in there.

The smokies elk herd had some tough times I think. Is this the same thing your speaking of?

This was the Royal Blue herd. I have the report on my home computer.

 

[cecil30-30]

Anybody remember the report from a few yearsago with TN elk dying from malnutrition? There were some low body weights in there.

I remember. Tn's elk will never be as successful as KY's elk herd. Ky has alot of mountain top removal coal mines which creayed alot of grass land.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

Not a good picture, but here's some TN elk I ran across while turkey hunting this morning. I didn't want to get my good camera wet while hunting this weekend, so I left my camera bag at home and didn't think to throw it back in with my turkey hunting gear when I got home. I wish I would have now. It won't happen again. I'll see more elk and hopefully get some better shots over the next month.

 

[Doskil]

Are those Royal Blue elk?

Eastern elk get fat off of acorns and crops.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

Are those Royal Blue elk?

Yes

 

[Doskil]

Thanks for sharing

 

[Buzzard Breath]

Thanks for sharing

I'm glad I had the opportunity. I sometimes take for granted the fact that I live, hunt and fish in such a diverse and wonderful place. It's hard to imagine the number of people that never see the sights I do because they won't venture away from their comfort zone, wether it's their backyard, neighborhood, or only where their 4-wheeler will take them. I pity them.

 

[Jugfish]

Here is my response from the post on Tar Sand strip mining in N. AL. I'd say the same applies here:

All I know is I'd hate to see North Alabama [Tennessee} turned into West Virginia. There are vast areas of WV that have been utterly destroyed. There are multiple counties in WV that do not have a deer season as a direct result of mining practices. I don't know much about this particular process, but mountaintop removal doesn't generate a vast amount of jobs, nor do the locals benefit much from it. Hopefully, the case is different here. If streams and rivers are heavily polluted, it will affect the TN river and have a potential effect on us Tennesseans.

I'm pro capitalists and also believe in harnessing domestic resources, but I don't want to see the rest of the South turned into West Virginia nor do I believe the West Virginia mentality about either you support unbridled, unregulated mining or you are a Hippy. [/quote]

So much of what you wrote here is just wrong. Mining is heavily regulated. There are not counties in WV that don't have deer seasons because of mining. The biggest whitetails in WV come from the counties with the most Mountaintop mining, and they have archery only seasons because that is what the people want. The best hunting in east KY and in southern WV is around the big surface mines because that is where the edge habitat is. For the past 12 years or so the mines are reclaimed with a mix of red and white clover, orchard grass, birds foot trefoil, kobe lespedeza, and either brown top millet or winter wheat. In east KY the best hunting for quail, rabbits, grouse, deer, turkeys and elk is around and on the mines. Do some more homework.

 

[Jugfish]

Eastern elk are bigger because:
1. They have green food available for 9 months out of the year, whereas most western elk get about 4 weeks of green forage.
2. They do not have to do any seasonal migrations.
3. There are no predators chasing them around.
4. They do not have to deal with long term snow cover that a lot of western elk deal with.

With that said, the TN elk and the Smokies elk have the worst habitat of the elk herds in the 3 states of KY, TN and NC. The best elk habitat in TN is in eastern Claiborne county where a lot of mining has occurred.

 

[Doskil]

PA has some decent snow cover and bad weather but they produce the biggest bulls.

 

[AT Hiker]

Eastern elk are bigger because:
1. They have green food available for 9 months out of the year, whereas most western elk get about 4 weeks of green forage.

Western elk have way more than 4 weeks of high quality food to eat, unless you meant 4 months which is more like it. Plus all the hay meadows they munch on while they are migrating down.

 

[Jugfish]

PA has some decent snow cover and bad weather but they produce the biggest bulls.

Bigger antlers, yes. They live longer. KY has not had very many 9, 10, or 11 year old bulls killed. Most bulls taken by hunters are 5 or less. Not sure why its that way, but I think its related to access and distribution of animals though. Hunters cannot access some large herds of elk on some private lands. Where hunters have a lot of access, the elk get hammered pretty good.

 

[Jugfish]

Eastern elk are bigger because:
1. They have green food available for 9 months out of the year, whereas most western elk get about 4 weeks of green forage.

Western elk have way more than 4 weeks of high quality food to eat, unless you meant 4 months which is more like it. Plus all the hay meadows they munch on while they are migrating down.

In some places, yes that is true. Parts of Colorado are an example. But in much of the West where there is no agriculture, it is different. MT gets about 13 inches of rain per year, and it is green for a very short time. I lived there and if I did not water my lawn, it would be brown in a matter of days. But the elk do well on brown, dried grass. Elk in TN, KY, PA get very picky because they are somewhat spoiled.

 

[AT Hiker]

I bet eastern elk wouldnt make it a day in grizz and wolf country.