A few random odds and ends to add to the topic -

I have noticed that there are several elk mortality studies published (and more on the way) that concentrate on the effects of predation. This is no doubt in response to the increasing wolf populations in Montana, Yellowstone, and elsewhere. One statistic that was noted, and that seemed to surprise the biologists, was that the predation on elk calves by bears was higher than previously thought.

Elk live in such diverse habitat that calf mortality rates and causes vary tremendously from one area to another. My own personal rule of thumb when I�m holding a cow tag and facing the calf or cow dilemma is I choose the cleanest and most certain shot. It is important to know your own area. As many here have already attested there are certain parts of the country where it is always clearly preferable to chose one or the other from a management standpoint.

I�ve done some reading of Valerius Geist who mentions stream crossings as a notable cause of mortality in elk. I�m sure that is not true everywhere, but it is really applicable to the areas where I live and hunt. I do some data collection for the DOW and took the following photos while doing surveys.

This bull had apparently already shed his horns when it was somehow killed in a steep drainage filled with 10� willows. This drainage was also an avalanche run. Willows trap snow and in Spring make an unpredictable consistency with soft spots. If an avalanche had run that year it could have set up some very hard snow with soft spots � especially with a creek running below the snow. It is very possible that once he fell through he simply couldn�t escape the deep snow.
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This calf lost its footing while following the herd across a snow patch on a steep creek crossing. This was in early July. I found it at the bottom of the snowfield. It probably broke something in the fall and the scene probably got ugly when the predators arrived and faced the cow.
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BTW � thanks Casey for weighing in on this. You always have a lot to offer on these type of topics.