As spring changes to summer, elk are going through some changes of their own. Below are the words of Jeremy Banfield, Pennsylvania Game Commission elk biologist.
Starting in late May through early June elk will “molt,” where the long, light brown hair of their winter coats will shed off revealing the short amber colored hair that elk will wear through the heat of the summer months.
Their winter coats begin to grow back in late September and early October and usually by November are fully grown. The long guard hairs and thick underfur of their winter coats protect the elk from the cold winter temperatures.
It’s during this shift from the summer to winter coat that elk calves lose their spots.
(Photo source: Mike Shull)