How many elk are in Colorado?

I won’t keep you all in suspense – according to the most recent population statistics from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), there are an estimated 303,390 elk in Colorado!

Autumn is one of the best times to both view and hear elk. Elk mating season lasts through mid-October, and during this time elk tend to move in large groups and get closer to human-inhabited areas. Elk habitat range extends throughout the mountainous regions of Colorado, so there are many opportunities to spot one. And if you encounter an elk during mating season, you’ll likely also hear its bugling call. Male elk bugle around dawn and dusk to attract females in the area and establish dominance over other males. If you want to spot elk this fall, check out CPW’s Watching deer and elk guide and remember to follow their wildlife viewing tips.

Colorado’s elk population is the largest in the world, but it took work to reestablish the herds after overhunting in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Elk were an easy food source for the influx of white settlers that arrived in the Colorado Territory during the mid-1800s. According to the Colorado Encyclopedia, the state’s 1910 elk population was estimated to be as low as 500-1,000 individuals. Elk hunting was banned until the 1930s while the Department of Fish and Game (a predecessor to CPW) brought elk from Wyoming and reintroduced them to fourteen areas around the state. The elk population rebounded successfully, partially because their natural predators like wolves, mountain lions, and coyotes were also suffering from severely reduced population sizes. To keep elk from becoming overpopulated in Colorado, state and federal agencies now have use lethal population management strategies like hunting and culling to maintain the herd sizes.

While “elk” is the common name for our favorite bugling ungulate, “wapiti” is the preferred name. In other parts of the world, the word “elk” is usually used for the animal we call a moose. These two large animals might appear similar at first glance, but as this video from CPW explains, there are many significant differences.

Happy wapiti viewing season!