Nature is a fascinating place. Every once in a while, something gets thrown at you that is so unexpected and out of the ordinary that you can’t even comprehend what occurred. But… that’s where the excitement lies, right?
Both elk and deer belong to the Cervidae family. They are ruminants (they have four-chambered stomachs) and they both grow and shed antlers annually. Think of it like this… they’re basically cousins but one stayed in the suburbs and developed a refined, nimble lifestyle (the deer), while the other moved to the mountains and started hitting the heavy weights (the elk). Of course, size is the most obvious differentiator between the two… especially standing next to each other. This is the most immediate giveaway.
An adult bull elk can weigh between 700 and 1,000 lbs. They stand about 5 feet tall at the shoulder. Your average whitetail buck tops out around 200 to 300 lbs. They are built for speed and agility, not brute force. When it comes to antler shape, elk sport massive beams that sweep backwards toward the tail. A full-grown bull’s antlers can span 4 feet across. Whereas, most deer antlers, especially whitetails, branch forward, curving over the face. Mule deer antlers fork into Y shapes as they grow.
One of the more subtle differences, one you’d have to see in action and make note of, is the sounds they make. The elk bugle is a high-pitched scream that descends into a series of grunts. It sounds like something out of a zombie apocalypse movie. Deer are much quieter and generally communicate through “bleats” or a sharp, whistling “snort” when they’re spooked.
Members of the deer family typically only show aggression towards that of their own kind… and, well… predators. Each year during the rut, all members of the deer family including moose, elk, and deer, both muleys and whitetails… they all grow antlers and square of head-to-head. These battles typically only occur with that of their own exclusive species and they pay minimal attention to others.
This is simply because the males have one thing on their mind: breeding the females (kind of like human males, eh?) And other species can’t do that, so they have no real reason to interact. When you put these two species side-by-side it does not look like the match up would be a fair fight. But… if every fight was won on paper, there’d be no need to let it fly, right?
this tilt right here starts with a massive buck running straight for a pretty large bull elk that is bedding down on the ground. The elk gets up and runs away as the buck drives his antlers towards him. They circle around and end up standing face-to-face. The elk looks to be a the very least twice the deer’s size…
The deer sizes the elk up and charges full speed ahead. The elk really doesn’t want anything to do with it and high tails it out of there, with the buck following closely behind him. The ol’ buck backed down a big bull elk… wouldn’t have that on the bingo card.
Didn’t want that smoke…
