BECAUSE YOU ASKED
Q: When is elk rut season and where are good places to see and hear them?
A: Elk rut, or the mating season, runs from September through October, but it usually reaches its peak in late September. The Rocky Mountain National Park visitors center said a very good time to see and hear them will be in about two weeks, although the bugling has already started.
Elk move to lower elevations in the fall and winter and can be found in meadows and woodlands. The best times of day to view them are about dawn and dusk.
Rocky Mountain National Park is probably the best known place for viewing elk. Other good locations include the Dowd Junction Elk Viewing Area, three miles north of Minturn on U.S. 34, which serves as a wintering range for several hundred elk; and Mueller State Park, just south of Divide on Colorado 67, where you will have to hike to the area.
During rut season, mature male elks spar for territory, while making a unique sound, or bugle. The victorious males win a harem of females that they may have to continuously defend.
When viewing the elk, be sure not to approach too closely. If they begin moving away from you, you’re too close. Always use binoculars or a spotting scope to maintain a safe distance and avoid interfering in the process.
For more information visit: wildlife.state.co.us/Viewing/Features/ViewingFallRut.htm
Source: Colorado Division of Wildlife; Rocky Mountain National Park; City of Estes Park
COMPILED BY BONNIE GILBERT
Have you ever wondered how to register your child for school? What a political caucus is and how to get information about one? How many “fourteeners” Colorado has? If you’d like information about something in the state outside Denver, send questions to becauseyou asked@denverpost.com or mail to: Because You Asked, Denver Post, 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 600, Denver, CO 80202. Include your name, city of residence and phone number.
