Notes on the Life History of the Roosevelt Elk in California

Abstract

The Roosevelt elk (Cervus roosevelti) (Bailey, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., vol. 48, p. 187, 1935) formerly ranged throughout northwestern California from the Oregon line south to the northern side of San Francisco Bay. Today but a small group of these animals remains in this state, principally in extreme northern Humboldt County. Although this species is not uncommon in parts of Washington and Oregon, it seems worthwhile to record any information that may be obtained concerning its habits and abundance at the southernmost extremity of its present range, where it is slowly approaching extinction. The following brief notes were gathered between October 17 and December 19, 1935, while I was working for the National Park Service in northern Humboldt and southern Del Norte counties, California. Where it has seemed advisable, information is included which has been furnished by certain local residents of this region who have observed these animals for many years. Habitat.-The majority of the Roosevelt elk in California now inhabit the country within 3 or 4 miles of the coast, between the mouth of Redwood Creek, Humboldt County, and the Del Norte-Humboldt county line, some 12 miles to the northward. A small percentage of the total population occurs outside of this defined area, principally in southern Del Norte County. The occupied territory is principally forest land. Inland this cover consists chiefly of redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia), and coast hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), while adjacent to the coast it is composed entirely of tideland spruce (Picea sitchensis). The small, forested valley of Prairie Creek, a tributary of Redwood Creek, extends through the center of the area parallel to the coast. Along the course of this stream there are a number of small, grassy clearings, surrounded principally by salmon-berry (Rubus spectabilis), which seemingly prove attractive to elk during the late spring, summer, and early autumn months. Single individuals or small groups were not infrequently observed in such situations during the latter half of October and the early part of November before the leaves had fallen from the salmon-berry. After the leaves have fallen from this dense brush and it is no longer capable of providing either food or shelter, the elk appear to move from this valley and the adjacent ridges toward the coast, where a number of individuals are reported to remain throughout the year. Here they inhabit the spruce forests and the dense coastal brush, composed mainly of salal (Gaultheria shallon) and huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum), interspersed with occasional thickets of young spruce. Food.-No definite browsing places were observed, although this method of 62