Science Corner - Tule Elk

Geoff Benn • June 14, 2024

My wife and I recently drove out to Cowboy Camp in western Colusa County, in an attempt to see the Aurora Borealis during the recent solar storm. While this was mostly unsuccessful, we did get to see a group of at least 20 Tule Elk grazing in the gathering dusk across Bear Creek. They were spectacular as always – they’re one of my favorite local animals and I think one of the most charismatic found in the Inner Coast Range.


Elk can be distinguished from black and white-tailed deer by their larger size, their mane of fur around the neck, and by their white rumps (Waipiti, a common name for North American Elk, is derived from a Shawnee word meaning white rump).


Tule Elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) are one of three subspecies of elk found in California, with the others being the Roosevelt Elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) and the Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelson). Tule Elk stand out from these and other North American Elk as they are the smallest subspecies, the only one that specializes on relatively dry ecosystems, and the only one that is endemic to California, meaning that they are found here and nowhere else.


When conditions are good, Tule Elk prefer to graze on grasses and annual forbs, but they will also browse shrubs and the lower branches of trees if grazing options are sparse. During the winter and spring months, female Tule Elk (cows) form their own herds apart from the males (bulls), who may band together in small groups or live alone. By late summer, when the antlers of the bulls have fully grown in for the year, the dominant bulls will join a group of cows and will mate with multiple partners while fending off rival males. It is during this period that bugling, the haunting call produced by bull elk, can most commonly be heard.

Tule Elk, estimated to have numbered as many as 500,000 prior to European and American colonization, saw their population decline to just two individuals by the 1870s. This last breeding pair was fortunately located on land owned by cattle barons Henry Miller and Charles Lux, who set aside part of their property for the conservation of the species. By the early 20th century, the population of Tule Elk on the ranch had rebounded sufficiently that the state began attempting to translocate animals to other parts of the state to found new herds. Most of these efforts failed, but two succeeded, including the Cache Creek herd, which was established in 1922 and is now the oldest free-ranging herd in the state.


Translocation and management efforts continued throughout the second half of the 20th century, leading to an impressive recovery for the species, with around 6,000 individuals today, spread across 22 populations. These include both free-ranging herds like those at Cache Creek and contained herds, such as those at Point Reyes and the Tule Elk State Natural Reserve, located on the original site of the Miller-Lux ranch.


There is currently one population of Tule Elk within the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument – this is the Cache Creek herd, which numbers around 600 individuals split into two subpopulations spread across the Cache Creek Wilderness and into the adjacent BLM Bear Creek Unit, which abuts the Monument, but isn’t a part of it. Cowboy Camp, located in the Bear Creek Unit near the junction of CA 20 and CA 16, is the best place to see Tule Elk from the Cache Creek herd.

There are two additional populations of Tule Elk located just outside of the Monument at East Park Reservoir and at Lake Pillsbury, to the east and west of Snow Mountain Wilderness, respectively. The Lake Pillsbury population can be reliably seen near the campgrounds on the north end of the lake, with the most activity occurring during breeding season in early fall.


Despite having no major natural predators following the extirpation of the California Grizzly Bear, most Tule Elk tend to be relatively skittish around humans, so if you want to see them up close, your best bet is a pair of binoculars or spotting scope. If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Tule Elk in the wild, I encourage you to make the trip out to Cowboy Camp. The best time to see the Elk there is at dusk, when they come down from the hills to graze along the creek and will be easily seen from the viewing platform.


-Geoff Benn gbenn@tuleyome.org

Tuleyome Education Associate

Certified California Naturalist

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