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For information about their offspring, see Elk calf.

Elk (also known as Wapiti) are large ungulates. They are herbivorous animals found wandering and grazing in some areas of the Yellowstone wilderness, most commonly encountered together in groups called herds. They are the second-largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, in the world.[1]


In WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition, elk return with a large improvement to their herding behavior, and will be more inclined to stand their ground for a longer period of time. Their artificial intelligence references a variety of behaviors, including grazing, wandering, resting, sleeping, and panicking, which may cause the entire herd to turn tail and flee when faced with a persistent predator.

As prey, they offer a substantial meal to patient predators; all ages and sexes can be hunted, killed, and consumed, with bulls and spikes offering more of a challenge than cows and calves. They appear in both single-player and multiplayer modes across all game types.


Scent (Modern)[]

Main article: Scent vision#Anniversary Edition

In scent view, toggled by pressing the V key key, players can easily identify elk by their pink-spectrum scent trails, with calves' tracks being a less saturated pink and adults' being more saturated. Like other NPCs, these entities and their tracks emit scent spores which follow the direction of the wind.

For controllers, scent view is toggled via the Xbox Xbox Left Bumper button, or the PlayStation PlayStation L1 button button.

Scent Data
Footprint Category Spore Carcass Sex Age
WQ-AE Track-bull-elk-color Prey Bull elk prey spore Bull elk carcass spore Bull Adult
Yearling (spike)
WQ-AE Track-cow-elk-color Prey Cow elk prey spore Cow elk carcass spore Cow Adult
WQ-AE Track-calf-elk-color Prey Elk calf prey spore Elk calf carcass spore N/A Newborn
Calf

Elk calves during the late spring and early summer are scentless and will not directly appear in scent view until killed. Only when the calf is mobile will it begin to emit scents. A tell-tale indication of a newborn elk is a Mother and Baby herd designation in place of a herd name.[2]


Diet (Modern)[]

As grazers and browsers, their diet consists of grasses, sedges and forbs in summer, and woody growth (aspen and willows) in winter.[3]


Habitat (Modern)[]

Unlike Classic and Legacy, the modern game no longer relies on dedicated hunting grounds zones. Elk herds now roam more freely across the game world and their pathing acknowledges any non-routable terrain, such as steep inclines. By day, the herd will graze, wander, and may cross paths with other herds. By night, everyone beds down and sleeps if all is peaceful.

Elk are abundant and appear in all game worlds: Amethyst Mountain, Lost River, and Slough Creek.


Life stages & Behavior (Modern)[]

This section details the sex differences and life stages (age groups) for elk.


Bull Elk (Modern)[]

Bull is the correct term used to refer to adult male elk. They are made more distinctive by their larger size, thicker necks, a rack of antlers whose appearance may differ depending on the season (and will be absent during late winter/early spring) growing atop their heads, and a sturdier build. Bulls are more inclined to stand their ground and will often fight their attackers if provoked, but will eventually relent and flee as their health is depleted. They are considerably more dangerous.

Occasionally, bulls may be witnessed rutting during the fall season. Small bull-only groups of elk may be encountered in the wilderness throughout the year.

Bulls are stronger and hardier than their female counterparts; they are not as protective of their herd while panicked. Like cows, bulls rely on their hooves when attacking. Their rack of antlers will also be utilized as a weapon combined with a strong headbutt. This attack inflicts rapid damage if it is used in quick succession.


Spike Elk (Modern)[]

Spike is the correct term used to refer to yearling male elk. Spikes are less dominant than older bulls, however will still retaliate with their antlers against predators attempting to hunt them.


Cow Elk (Modern)[]

Cow is the correct term used to refer to adult female elk. They are smaller than bulls, lack antlers, and have somewhat more graceful builds with thinner necks. An expecting cow will give birth of only one calf during the spring after a gestation period of six months. As mothers, cows are fiercely protective of their young if threatened, but will be otherwise passive from a distance. She may be prone to fleeing if provoked.

A cow who has had a calf is made all the more distinctive if she is solitary. During this time, their scent will identify them as a Mother and Baby herd.[2]

Cows are fiercely protective of their young to the point of aggression until they have matured and no longer require their mother's care. Players facing-off against a mother and her calf should expect her to continue guarding her calf until she is close to death, as she has a higher chance of fleeing to preserve her own life and abandoning her calf. A stationary cow relies heavily on her hooves, with her attack strategies being to kick with her rear legs, or to stomp with her forelegs.


Elk Calves (Modern)[]

See also: Newborns#Elk or Elk calf.

Calves can be found in single cow-and-calf family groups while still considered newborn. Once mobile, both will rejoin their herd, and mother-and-baby herds cease to exist. They are born during the spring and will remain with their mother until they reach maturity.

During a hunt, calves may break away from the herd and stray. Most of the time, its mother will notice and follow to guide her offspring back to the safety of the herd.


Shared Behaviors (Modern)[]

The elk observed in-game are herbivores, and will often be seen grazing in fields, meadows, and forests when observed at a distance. Their real-world counterparts are omnivorous, though this is not depicted in-game.[4]

As prey, elk face a number of challenges from hungry predators; being large ungulates, their carcasses provide a substantial meal to any predator patient enough to take them down. However, they do not fall easily nor without a fight.

It is sometimes possible to witness groups of dispersal wolves and pack wolves hunting a herd of elk.

Occasionally, migrating herds may cross paths with one another. Bulls may challenge and fight other bulls during such encounters. During these fights, both bulls will take slight damage. When hunted by predators, an entire herd of elk may flee towards and swim into deeper water to escape predators.

Fleeing ungulates — most commonly seen with elk and mule deer — have a chance of colliding into the player while they flee. This deals an amount of damage according to the difficulty, and will briefly stall the player.


Hunting Strategies (Modern)[]

Main article: Hunting#Anniversary Edition

Elk represent the primary food source for a wolf pack. Once killed, elk provide high nutritional value from a single carcass that can provide plenty of food for a number of wolves. When looking for an elk to hunt, it is important to note the sex and age of the elk prior to giving chase. Cows and calves will generally travel together in a large herd, while bulls will travel with other bulls in a smaller group.

WQ-AE Hunting Elk-headback

An elk with its head pulled back in contrast to the others.

A general tip: pay attention to the herd as a whole — weaker individuals can be picked out, sometimes by eye. They have a higher tendency to fall behind while fleeing for a prolonged period of time, and they have better odds of turning to fight or stomp on players early in the chase (sometimes even before it begins) and will often hold their heads further back than stronger elk. Strong elk, too, can pull their heads back, but will often correct themselves and run with their heads forward. Weak elk do not correct themselves and will keep their heads pulled back throughout pursuit. While on the run, attacking a weakened elk's flank is a guaranteed, safe way to prevent them from abruptly entering a standoff and retaliating.

Cow and calf elks are generally the best targets to hunt since cow elks do not have antlers and are unable to retaliate as effectively as a spike/bull elk. Note that as a lone wolf, herds may not immediately start running away. Growling, sprinting and biting at the elk are necessary actions in order to force the herd into running.

Note that calves will always have a mother protecting them. Attacking a calf while its mother is nearby and in a standoff is generally not advised. Instead it is best to attack the calf while it is running and the mother is in front of the calf. Growling or briefly attacking the mother directly are tactics used to cause a cow and calf to run. Attacking a calf from its side, away from the mother is generally the best angle to bite it, as its mother will have to go around the calf to retaliate.

When hunting cow elk, it is best to bite as many cows in a herd as possible to locate its weakest member. Once the weakest member is found, it is usually possible for a lone wolf to kill the cow elk on any difficulty without much trouble.

When hunting spike/bull elk, a similar strategy to cow elks can be used, however much sparingly. Since male elks are able to retaliate with antlers, care must be taken when hunting them as a lone wolf. It is best to hunt a very injured bull elk, or to work as a pack when hunting a bull elk.

When hunting as a pack, communication with packmates is essential at quickly finding which member of the herd is weakest. It is also best as a pack to approach the herd from downwind, which gives less time for the elk herd to react to the pack’s presence.

Since bull elk are able to kick with extremely high damage, it is best for players to limit their latch to 2 - 3 hits, with 2 hits being the most safe. Additionally, it is best to bite only when there are no other wolves biting. This ensures that the elk will not kick off and damage your wolf as soon as you latch on.


Carcass and Meat Chunk Information (Modern)[]

Main article: Carcass#Elk
Main article: Meat chunk
Image Designation Bull Elk Spike Elk Cow Elk Elk Calf Elk Calf (Summer)
Chunk A Chunk A 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%
Chunk B Chunk B 15% 15% 15% N/A 15%
Chunk C Chunk C 15% 15% 15% 15% 15%
Total Food Value of Carcass 600% 400% 400% 200% 70%


Gallery (Modern)[]

Contributions for Elk in the Anniversary Edition are welcome in this gallery!

In WolfQuest: Classic, herds of elk spawn only in designated hunting grounds present across all game worlds. Each individual elk will continuously generate a trail while its entity is spawned that becomes visible in scent view, toggled by pressing the V key. Scent spores are dynamically generated according to wind direction; entering hunting grounds while downwind grants players the best chance of finding a trail. Similarly, ravens mark the locations of live herds by soaring high above their position in wait of an easy meal.

There are seven achievements associated with elk.


The Herd (Classic)[]

Elk are not depicted to be solitary animals in-game. They will gather to live, roam and graze together as a herd.

Each herd consists of nine members and will always include one male and eight females. Successfully hunting and bringing down an elk of either gender gives a varying chunk of experience points and a carcass which can be used as a food source, with which to replenish lost health and to gather extra food for pups. Difficulty affects the tiring rates of a running elk as well as the damage they are capable of dealing to the player when standing their ground.

Occasionally, the herd may remain spawned, and will sometimes gradually migrate away from elk hunting grounds. It is unknown if this is intentional.


Bull Elk (Classic)[]

The leading and sole male member of the herd, they are easily distinguished from their female counterpart due to their antlers, which will vary in appearance based on the season, and thicker necks. Bull elk are the strongest elk in the herd and will always stand their ground until weakened. Players would be wise to properly prepare themselves for a bull hunt; failure to do so risks serious injury or death.

All cow elk will follow this member indefinitely for as long as the herd remains spawned. The bull will turn and fight back if he is provoked while healthy. Only when sufficiently weakened will he turn tail and flee.


Cow Elk (Classic)[]

The female members of the herd, cow elk are easily distinguished by their lack of antlers and thinner necks. They are also much weaker than the male counterpart in that they deal less damage to the player with each attack. Weaker females - due to age or sickness - will always flee when approached by predators. Healthier females will always stand their ground and keep their attention on players or mates closest to them, only turning tail to flee for wolves to give chase when enough injury has been inflicted. Strong cows will mirror the bull and stand their ground, but will promptly turn tail and flee after receiving a few bites.

In Amethyst Mountain, if the player is using a newly-created wolf, the game will spawn a lone cow elk in the player's starting area. Her health is the lowest for any elk encountered in the game, meaning she is old, sick, or weak. This makes her an easy kill and a nice boost towards earning the required amount of experience needed to continue. Do note however that she only appears once per wolf; in subsequent replays, she will not reappear.


Carcass (Classic)[]

Main article: Carcass#Elk

Depending on the difficulty setting, carcasses' spawn rates will vary. In the easiest difficulty, carcasses are plentiful, but nowhere near as common as they were in 2.5 and older. In the hardest difficulty, carcasses are rare.

A carcass will provide a moderate source of health recovery to players and sustenance for pups.


Locations (Classic)[]

The following sections provide tips. hints, and information to help locate herds. A general tip is to look for ravens flying overhead: where there are ravens, there may be carcasses or herds.


Amethyst Mountain (Classic)[]

During Amethyst Mountain, there are two hunting grounds. The first herd is directly in the center of the three wolf territories, being inhabitants of the north-west area of Douglas Fir Forest. The second herd resides on the slopes to the north-western edge of The Burn.


Slough Creek (Classic)[]

During Slough Creek, there are three elk hunting grounds. All three are within reasonable distance of each player-inhabitable territory and both stranger wolf packs. The first herd sits north of the Little Butte, north-west of the Lone Tree landmark, and directly south-east of Saddle Meadows. The second herd is perched north-east of the Old Oxbow and is directly south-west of Aspen Heights. The third herd resides on the east shore of the Sandbar Crossing and shares more or less the same distance for both East Creek and Bison Peak Cutoff to the east and south-east of its borders, respectively.


Lost River (Original)[]

During Lost River, there are two elk hunting grounds. The first herd sits adjacent to the territory claimed by the Lost River pack, while the second occupies the heart of Downtown.


Hunting (Classic)[]

Main article: Hunting#Classic

Players are now more strongly encouraged to hunt prey in order to provide themselves and their pack with food so as to ensure survival. Elk make ideal prey due to their moderate health and damage outputs. It is possible to take down all nine members with the right strategy provided kills are made within close proximity to the herd.


Solo strategies (Classic)[]

First and foremost, players will want to tackle the weakest members of the herd before moving on to the stronger individuals. The last target of the hunt should always be the bull -- avoid him at all costs until the rest of the herd has been taken down.

An ideal map for elk hunting would be Lost River, specifically the herd based in the middle of Downtown; elk are clumsier there and are more likely to get themselves trapped by running into buildings and tight spaces. Maps with larger and more open spaces will require more patience and better tactics.


Team strategies (Classic)[]

Caution from the solo section can be thrown to the wind if playing in a pack with five or more players, as the damage received from all elk is more likely to be spread across players participating in the hunt than being focused on just one player.


Gallery (Classic)[]

Contributions for Elk in Classic are welcome in this gallery!

Elkstanding4

Wolves surround an elk (2007 trailer)

In Legacy versions of WolfQuest, elk are large prey animals that can be hunted. Elk carcasses are scattered throughout both Amethyst Mountain and Slough Creek throughout the year and act as a source of food to replenish health to further sustain your wolf and its mate through their journey during the game's main campaign. In multiplayer, a group of up to five players could hunt elk in a pack.

Players can locate elk by their scent trail while in scent vision, toggled by pressing the V key, cow elk are represented by a magenta trail, while bull elk are represented by a hot pink scent trail. Interestingly, both bull and cow elk carcasses are represented by a magenta plume. A herd consists of one male and 6-8 females.

Bull elk are far tougher than their female counterpart. They are quicker to turn around and face the player in order to fight back if provoked while a cow elk will only fight back before she is killed, making them much more difficult to bring down in comparison.

Cow elk are ideal targets for between 1-3 players largely because they give little fight for a decent meal. There is little need for a strength boosting rally nor scavenging, though both are helpful and completely optional.


Carcasses (Legacy)[]

Main article: Carcass#Elk

Scattered throughout the map, players will find numerous elk carcasses. These provide an excellent source of quick health recovery. They may be scavenged and eaten autonomously by Grizzlies, wolves and coyotes.

Multiple carcasses will spawn throughout the map when the game begins to ensure the survival of the player and their pack. Those which spawn naturally are always cow carcasses. Bull carcasses are never generated naturally, only ever appearing when the player or a group of players have successfully hunted and killed a bull elk. Elk carcasses have varying stages to determine how fresh or old the carcass is.


Locations (Legacy)[]

Elk can be located in any elk hunting grounds displayed on the map. These are marked on the map by a semi-transparent red circle, while the compass indicates it by means of a white bull elk icon. As soon as the player enters elk hunting grounds, a sound will play and the compass will indicate the player as being in elk territory. Using scent vision, you must find the herd's trail before you can follow it and begin your hunt.


Calves (Legacy)[]

Elk calves do not exist and are completely absent in Legacy builds. They were a possibility for version 2.5.1 in a summer 2010 poll, but the idea was set aside after a community poll ended with the winning options being weather, time and resting (and sleep) which were implemented instead.[5].


Plumes (Legacy)[]

There are two plume types: large plumes and small plumes. Larger plumes indicate the location of an elk carcass. They will always be shown over any dead elk, including those that were killed by the player / a group of players / the player and their mate.

Smaller plumes indicate the trail of the herd; following it has a chance of leading you directly to it though there's the small chance of the trail being false and taking you through elk territory and out the other side. Entering elk territory does not always guarantee you'll be following the correct trail 100% of the time.

As of 2.5, ravens will sometimes be seen flying in the sky. They always circle above elk carcasses, which is helpful if players wish to locate an elk carcass without utilizing scent vision.


Hunting (Legacy)[]

Main article: Hunting#Legacy

Hunting elk is a moderately difficult task to do solo. The chances of dying increase especially if hunting without a |mateSP only or a packMP only to assist, more so than usual without replenishing health from any nearby carcasses or by hunting minor prey such as hare to sustain your health.

In single-player, it's possible to hunt elk with a mate after completion of Amethyst Mountain by entering elk territory and locating the herd; your mate will autonomously assist during the hunt, but only if you attack the targeted elk first.

In multiplayer, players can establish a group of up to no more than five and hunt elk herds. For a larger group of players, taking down a bull elk is still a dangerous task, though less daunting when combined with the strength boost given from a successful rally.

Stats do play a role in surviving an elk hunt and are useful to help aid the player's pack throughout the duration of any hunt. A useful tactic before starting a hunt would be to observe the elk herd and find the weakest member(s) - as with real wolf pack hunting techniques, this will help to conserve energy and make hunting quicker and easier for all members involved.

It may be easier to try to flank the elk, which means bite its sides or rear. Biting the neck risks injury.


Gallery (Legacy)[]

Contributions for Elk in Legacy versions are welcome in this gallery!


Bugs[]

Anniversary Edition Bugs

Classic Bugs

Legacy Bugs


Trivia[]

  • A real bull elk was found to have eaten eggs from a bird's nest, thus they might be omnivorous.
  • While possible in-game, in reality, one adult wolf cannot successfully hunt and kill an adult elk on its own without risking serious consequences such as injury or death; since most wolf hunts end unsuccessfully, a lone wolf will stand a much higher rate of failure than it would if it were in a pack.
  • Hunting large prey as a team is less dangerous than hunting solo — if prey stands its ground and doesn't flee, wolves will soon lose interest and move on.[6] A pack will typically hunt weak, old or sick ungulates or those unlucky enough to get caught.

  • The model in this game was made by GIM Studio after being commissioned by eduweb.
    • eduweb does not own this model outright due to the high costs associated with exclusive rights. An agreement between both parties allows GIM Studio retains the rights to sell this model to other developers, so it may appear in other games.
  • By fall, elk calves reuse a scaled-down version of the adult cow elk model.
  • The both soundtrack music for hunting elk in Amethyst Mountain are in 6/8 time signature.[7]
  • Elk have been observed to unintentionally damage other elk by trampling on them while the herd is running away from predators. Though they receive damage, there is no stagger animation on the elk as well as damage output numbers visible to players.
    • Similarly, bull elk will slowly damage each other while fighting.

Anniversary Edition & Classic Trivia

  • Bull and spike elk antlers change with the seasons.
    • While without antlers, bull and spike elk instead resort to kicks instead of attempting to gore predators with antlers.

Classic Trivia

  • Elk herds will behave differently during varying weather conditions and times of day.
  • Cow elk never stray far from elk hunting grounds unless they have been chased far enough away from the herd.
    • All elk will attempt to retrace their steps back to the territory from which they were chased if the hunt is abandoned.
  • Predators other than the player or their mate will not attack prey animals regardless of how close they are.
  • Interestingly, the carcasses of both sexes are represented by magenta scent plumes.
  • With the introduction of version 2.7.3, the appearance of a bull's antlers will change depending on the season.[8]
  • With the release of 2.7, elk herds finally received vocalisations, which were previously absent in Legacy versions. Cows can be heard mewling and barking, while bulls can occasionally be heard bugling.
  • Bull elk antlers change with the seasons.
  • The lone, weakened one-off cow elk replaces the lone tree carcass spawn. In replays, she does not appear, and no carcass replaces her at the lone tree as was once the case for Legacy.

Classic & Legacy Trivia

  • Cow elk never stray far from elk hunting grounds unless they have been chased far enough away from the herd.
  • All elk who have been displaced from their hunting grounds herd will attempt to retrace their steps back to the territory from which they were chased if the hunt was abandoned.
    • In some cases, they may despawn instead.

Legacy Trivia

  • In the original teaser/promo video for Amethyst Mountain, wolves are seen snarling/growling at the cow elk they have surrounded. However, this interaction does not exist in-game and could not be performed by players. Aspects of the trailer were likely to have been a mix of cut/unfinished/future content, or else they existed purely as staged content added for dramatic effect.
    • Additionally, a cow elk is seen kicking away a wolf; although both sexes of elk can kick at players in-game, players cannot jump at elk in such a manner, let alone be countered.
    • Regarding the cow elk who is shown to be standing perfectly still while surrounded on all sides, none of this ever happens in-game. Players cannot jump at elk in such a manner. An elk will only stand perfectly still while it is observed from a safe distance, grazing, or looking around. A threatened elk will always have its guard up and will continuously back away slowly for as long as it remains surrounded.
  • Elk herds have been observed to behave differently at varying times of day and under certain weather conditions, notably while raining or snowing.
  • Predators other than the player or their mate will not attack prey animals regardless of how close they are. In fact, grizzly bears and coyotes ignore elk completely, and vice versa; elk only ever react to the presence of the player or their mate.
    • Version history suggests coyotes could once hijack the player's hunt. It's unknown if this was intentional or a bug.
  • It is bizarre that elk in 2.5 and below do not emit the barking and mewing of cows, and the bugles of bulls associated with real elk. The only sounds they do make comes from their footfall. In the game files, the only sound files used by elk are elk-gallop, elk-trot, elk-walk and kick copy. No elk vocalisations exist. The death sound is not counted as it is shared by all killable animals.
  • The game has always consistently spawned a cow elk carcass at the lone tree in Amethyst Mountain.


References & External Links[]


NPCs
Competitors & Predators Bald eagleBobcatBlack bearCougarCoyoteDogGolden eagleGrizzly bearRavenRed fox
Prey BeaverBighorn sheepBisonDomestic cattleElkMooseMule deerPorcupinePronghornSnowshoe hare
Newborns & Juveniles Bighorn sheep lambDomestic cattle calfElk calfGrizzly bear cubMoose calfMule deer fawnPronghorn fawn
Wolves Dispersal (Mate) • Offspring: Pup, Yearling, Adult, DisperserPredatorStranger
Non-interactable BirdsCatInsect
Non-entity Human
Miscellaneous AirplaneAmphibiansFishHerdsWolf Packs
Prey
Large Bison (calf) • Elk (calf) • Domestic Cattle (calf) • Moose (calf)
Medium Bighorn sheep (lamb) • Mule deer (fawn) • Pronghorn
Small BeaverPorcupineSnowshoe hare
Miscellaneous Domestic LivestockFishJuvenileNewborn
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