GAYLORD, MI – When people list their favorite fall activities, they tick off the expected: Enjoying the fall colors, pumpkin spice everything, and U-pick orchards. But if we had our way, everyone would be adding some bugling elk to that lineup.
Most Michiganders go through their lives without ever seeing – or hearing – these majestic animals. But now it’s even easier to get an up-close experience with these big-antlered beauties.
The Gaylord area is the hot spot for elk experiences both wild and tame.
For those seeking the tamer experience, the city’s free Elk Park now has a second viewing area with a big accessible platform so you can get a great look at this penned herd that roams more than 100 acres there. Some of the bull elk weigh in at more than 800 pounds and stand more than 6 feet tall.
An elk roaming at a park in Gaylord. Photo provided by the Gaylord Area Convention & Tourism Bureau
The new park section, which opened earlier this year, features a playground and restrooms as well, so it’s the perfect spot to try if you’ve got youngsters. And fall is a great time to see the elk. September and October are mating season, so the bull elk are acting pretty macho, doing their bugling calls and shaking their antlers at each other.
There are about 60 elk in this herd, all cared for by city staff. The penned elk started as a bit of a rescue effort in the late 1980s when a local nature center shut down. There are now sika and fallow deer, as well as a sizeable elk herd. The main entrance is at 116 Grandview Blvd., while the newest accessible viewing platform is just down the road, closer to the city’s Aspen Park.
An elk plushie sits on the new elk viewing platform in Gaylord.Photo provided by the Gaylord Area Convention and Tourism Bureau
“You’re pretty much always going to see them,” said Paul Beachnau, executive director of the Gaylord Area Convention & Tourism Bureau. He was over at the new platform area recently while on a morning walk and saw seven of the massive bull elk standing along the fence line. “A couple of them had their horns locked and were pushing each other back and forth, and you could start to hear them bugle.
“It still blows my mind that this is an everyday occurrence.”
Want your elk experience to be a little less tame? Head just north of Gaylord and soon you’ll be entering “The Big Wild,” also known as the Pigeon River Country State Forest. These 114,000 acres of meadows and woods are home to the largest free-ranging elk herd east of the Mississippi River.
The best – and safest – viewing is going to be from your car with binoculars or a spotting scope. For a map of elk viewing areas and the best tips, check the Michigan DNR map here.
More Tips: When and where to see Michigan’s wild elk during bugling season.
Pigeon River Country State Forest, just a few miles northeast of Gaylord, is home to one of the largest free-roaming elk herds east of the Mississippi, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. (Photo Courtesy of David Kenyon | DNR)MI Dept. of Natural Resources
Official Wildlife Mascot
How much does the Gaylord area love its elk? Earlier this season, the big animal became Otsego County’s official wildlife mascot.
It’s an antler tip to all the tourism these animals bring in, and their history in the area. A survey once showed that 60% of all area visitors made time to stop and see elk.
“Between the free-roaming herd in the Pigeon River Forest and the fantastic additions made to the City Elk Park, visitors and residents can view elk as an outdoor adventure or with ease,” Beachnau explained.
Elk haven’t always made their home near Gaylord. Although the animals were once native to the area, they were documented as extinct by the late 1800s. In 1918, a handful of Rocky Mountain elk from out west were brought to the Gaylord area and set free to roam. Today’s herd in the Pigeon River Country State Forest can be traced to those elk.
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