Fall is the perfect time to see the majestic elk rut in the Rockies
The elk rut is a majestic, violent natural phenomenon that you don’t want to miss
For human beings, the shorter days brought on by the onset of fall might inspire an urge to wander a corn maze or to sip a warm spiced beverage.
For the elk that roam Alberta and the Rocky Mountains, though, the drop in daylight means it’s rutting (mating) time.
And, as one Parks Canada expert says, the elk rut is a majestic, violent natural phenomenon that you don’t want to miss.
A bull elk works to herd a group of females. The urge to mate in the fall is driven by hormonal changes triggered by the decline in daylight. Elk mating in the fall see more reproductive success because calves are then born in the spring when food sources are plentiful. (Connor O’Donovan)
“The peak of the rut is almost always around the autumnal equinox, and if you’re interested in looking at animal behaviours you can see lots of different behaviours all at once,” says wildlife ecologist Rob Found, who adds that the rut can continue until late October.
“There’s a number of different calls the males do, the herding behaviour itself is quite exciting, and of course the most exciting is when the males are actually battling each other. I can give an anecdote. I’ve seen a male elk lock horns with another male elk flipping him over his head!”
A pair of bull elk lock horns. (Image courtesy of Canva.)
For weeks, typically between early September and late October, male elk spend their days dashing about open, grassy areas like the Blakiston Fan in Waterton Lakes National Park.
Over that time they herd as many as 50 female elk into groups called harems, which they then defend from challengers with their iconic bugle call, and with brute force. It’s all in the name of preserving the bloodline.
“As time goes on in the rut, they’ll gather more and more females of reproductive age, as many as they can possibly control,” explains Found.
“The male is quite active running around trying to herd them back into as small of a group as possible while also defending against these challengers.”
A large section of the Blakiston Fan in Waterton Lakes National Park is closed every year during the rut. A road into the fan remains open, but visitors aren’t allowed to exit their vehicles when driving through. (Connor O’Donovan)
Ready to see the rut for yourself?
As mentioned, rutting behaviour can continue into late October as bull elks build their harems.
Rob Found stresses the importance of familiarizing yourself with rut viewing rules and guidelines to ensure peaceful, safe human-wildlife coexistence.
“We do close the area for two main reasons. The first is to give elk space. Mating is very important, of course, for the success of the herd,” he says.
“They can also be potentially dangerous to people as well.”
