Kentucky Bull Elk Study: Movement and Mortality

Although much information has been obtained from a decades-long research program at the University of Kentucky on reintroduced elk in the Commonwealth, little is known about bull elk ecology. Mature bull elk are an ecologically important age-gender class within the growing population in southeastern Kentucky. Although harvest numbers have been recorded since the implementation of a sustainable hunting season, other sources of mortality for mature bull elk are unclear. We also know little about the temporal and seasonal habitat use and spatial patterns of bull elk and, through anecdotal evidence, believe that these characteristics considerably differ among biological seasons than that of other age and gender classes. Finally, bull elk home range establishment in Kentucky is unclear in terms of space use versus individual relatedness and how these parameters influence dispersal across the landscape.