5 Things Kentucky’s Elk Do in the Coalfields Every Winter

On a cold winter day in Kentucky’s coalfields, check the south-facing slopes for elk.

The herds change their habits once fall’s over, and knowing them can make your next drive worth it.

Here’s what Kentucky’s elk do in the coalfields every winter.

1. Gathering Into Herds

Elk gather into herds for winter survival.

A 2006 Kentucky Living article reported that groups of 50 to 100 cows and calves aren’t unusual in winter.

Spot a group that size, and you’re likely looking at cows and their calves.

2. Bachelor Bull Groups

If every elk in a winter group is a bull, you’ve likely found a bachelor group.

Elk bulls split off from the cows as winter approaches and join up with other bulls.

Bulls that fought each other in the fall gather in herds of 10 to 15 by winter.

Those bulls feed to add weight.

3. Grazing Reclaimed Mine Grass

A 2006 study of elk on a southeastern Kentucky surface mine with reclaimed grassland found grass made up about 40 percent of their winter diet.

Perennial ryegrass topped the list, followed by tall fescue and orchard grass.

Forbs and browse together made up less than a quarter of the winter diet.

Elk use grasses more in winter, when tree leaves are largely absent and forbs are least available.

The mine had thousands of acres of reclaimed grassland for them to graze.

By spring, grass falls to about 10 percent of the diet, and woody browse takes the lead at 46 percent.

If you see elk head-down in a winter field, they may well be working through those grasses.

4. Feeding on Open Grass

University of Kentucky research found that bulls made their greatest daily use of grass habitats in winter.

Male elk overall preferred grass habitats, too.

Adult males also selected open land at greater rates than the study area offered.

The 2006 Kentucky Living article also reported elk bedding down in open fields in winter.

Open grass may be a good place to start your scan.

5. Bedding Down by Slope

On a cold winter day, you may do better checking south-facing slopes than north-facing slopes.

The state’s Elk 101 course says post-rut elk lie down on north-facing slopes on warm days and south-facing slopes on cold days.

Forest and Mine Land in the Elk Zone

Kentucky’s coalfield elk live in a zone that’s approximately 80 percent deciduous forest.

Active and reclaimed surface mines make up another 10 percent, and farm or cleared land covers 9 percent.

A state habitat feasibility study identified the area for its relatively low human population density and minimal commercial agriculture.

Drive through it, and you may see far more forest than open grass.

Elk Calendar

Winter herds form at the end of a calendar that starts in August.

Pre-rut covers August and early September, and in Kentucky the rut follows in late September or early October.

Bulls are at their most vocal and most territorial during the rut.

Post-rut runs from late October into January.

Plan a winter outing in the coalfields, and you’re planning around that last stage.

Elk Under Hunting Pressure

If you’re counting on winter elk in open fields in broad daylight, you may be disappointed.

That course describes post-rut elk as usually in heavy cover, though they still feed in open areas.

Across three hunting seasons, that research also found elk cut their use of open land during daylight hours.

That shift was tied to hunting pressure, though only anecdotally.

Winter Coat Color

Elk coats fade from light copper in summer to light-tan in winter and spring.

Elk have a light beige rump patch, and the legs and neck usually look darker than the body.

Through binoculars, the rump patch and darker legs are what you want to find on a hillside.

Mine Land as Elk Habitat

When Kentucky chose where to release elk, reclaimed strip mines had already opened grasslands in the forest.

Elk find high-quality food through winter and the rest of the year on reclaimed mine land, the authors of the mine study concluded.

Nutritional quality didn't appear to limit that growing herd.

Elk diets shifted by season, possibly in response to availability and palatability.

When you watch elk graze a treeless slope in winter, you may be looking at reclaimed mine land.