A bull elk’s bugle in the Ozarks can put a chill down your spine – it’s among the spookiest sounds of nature. They do their thing every fall during mating season.
Bulls battle for the right to lead harems of females, known as cows. They put on amazing displays – thrashing the ground, bushes and anything else in their way before locking their huge antlers with one another in epic shoving matches. They also roll in muddy wallows, curl their lips, grind their teeth and hiss.
Elk are immense – the largest mammals in Arkansas. Bulls can weigh up to 800 pounds. Their antlers can grow up to an inch a day and weigh 40 pounds.
Increase the odds of watching elk by looking for them at dawn and dusk in fields along Highway 43 near the Buffalo River.
You can learn more about elk in Arkansas at the Ponca Elk Education Center, or by visiting agfc.com.