Do the bulls control the herd?
Bulls tend to live by themselves or with other bulls for most of the year except for the rut. Each herd has a lead cow that makes all the decisions of when to move, where to look for food and so forth. In our herd, we call the lead cow "Boss Lady" - she's not really a very nice elk at all (quite aggressive, frankly), but she's definitely in charge.

Do you worry about predators?
Elk hate all canines - coyote, wolves and dogs - as those are their main predators in the wild. Bear (especially brown bear) will also take down elk (if they can catch them). Here in New Hampshire, we do have occasional black bear, but they are more interested in the wild blackberry and blueberry they can easily get to. Climbing an 8 foot tall wire fence to face 30 elk that weigh as much as they do and can kick hard is too much work.

We have no wolves in New Hampshire, but plenty of coyote. They stay away, however, as the cow elk will aggressively go after any canine that comes near. One coyote did get under the fence one year during early calving. It didn't get out, thanks to the cows.

How high can elk leap?
They can easily clear 6 feet, but probably not 8. We hope not, at least, since that is how high our fence is.

Can elk swim?
Elk are very good swimmers. They like water, but tend to make a mess. We deliberately fenced our pond outside of the elk pasture because they would have swum around in it, eroding the banks and generally trashing it.

How fast can elk run?
Elk rely mostly on speed for protection and are among the fastest of land mammals. They are capable of running 25 miles per hour for extended periods and can have bursts of speed up to 45 miles per hour.

What noises do elk make?
They make a variety of calls. The one most people think of is the bugle, a call usually given by bulls during the breeding season, though cows will sometimes bugle as well. A bugle starts low and rises to a high whistle or scream. It is pretty loud - a friend of ours who farms several miles away said he heard our bulls bugling one morning during the fall. Other sounds include mewing like a cat and whines, generally done by cows and calves to keep in contact. A curious sound that elk can make is a bark. It is a warning call that sounds much like that of a big dog. Elk will also snort, grunt and squeal.