Wintering Elk of Ellensburg
A small valley, nestled between the largely mountainous terrain of the Cascade Mountain Range in northwestern Washington and the desert of south-central Washington is a city called Ellensburg. Where the elk of the surrounding area come to feed between the months of December and April.
Located along many of the canyons reaching up into the mountains, the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife has set up wintering wildlife areas where elk and other wildlife come and take advantage of the free hay dropped off by large tractors behind closed fences and protected land. Hundreds of acres are set aside where no human travel is permitted, except for the workers at the feeding locations.
It gives the elk a place to remain healthy throughout the harsh winters in the surrounding higher elevations, away from weather, predators, and the lack of food. Bull elk come in dragging themselves after a rut that begins in September and lasts into October, where food and water are second thought to breeding the cow elk they have chased across the landscape.
One of the best locations to view huge bulls and large numbers of elk up close and personal is at the Oak Creek Wildlife Area northwest of Yakima, WA. Where elk travel miles from the woods within Mount Rainier National Park to mere feet away from visitors. Also close to this location is another wildlife feeding station worth stopping at that includes; Bighorn Sheep. The sheep can mostly be seen in the early parts of winter like December and January before they head back up the mountain where they spend the rest of their time.
Many people go to get their look at the sheer number of elk that come down into the wildlife areas as some locations feed 200-300 elk while others feed 1200 -1500 elk daily. I find myself at these spots looking for the biggest bulls in the area that tend to show themselves early in the morning in the highest points of the protected land on the edge of deep forests where they spend the rest of their time in lower elevations.
I have captured some of the most incredible bull elk I have ever seen, sometimes even together in bachelor groups, in these locations, including multiple 7x7 and 8x8 bulls, as well as another one with caribou-like brow tines that was sure to measure beyond 400” of antler atop his head. It's crazy seeing these animals in such a multitude this close just a short month after thousands of hunters travel hundreds of miles on foot all fall chasing these beasts.
If this sort of thing interests you and you ever find yourself across the western states in a valley town surrounded by mountains during the winter months, be sure to research where the closest Wintering Wildlife Feeding location is and take a trip!
