Animal In Utah Is A Lot Smarter Than We Think

Study Reveals How Smart Elk Can Are 

Researchers from Brigham Young University tagged elk in Utah with GPS callers to help the Division of Wildlife Resources get information working to balance the population. What they discovered surprised everyone. 

At that time, hunters could only harvest elk on public lands. On the day the hunt began, the elk would quickly move into private land areas. The day the hunt was over, the elk moved right back into the public lands where they had begun. 

How Did The Elk Know? 

That the elk knew where they would be safe and also were aware of the date is amazing. Researchers pondered how the elk would know. Was there one extra smart elk finding its way to the internet and spreading the word? 

They think it was the number of trucks heading to the hills that tipped them off. As the hunters with tags made their way into the public lands, the elk would move to a place where they didn’t see these trucks. 

It is surprising that they would know when the time was over. Apparently, they noticed when these trucks cleared out and moved back. Perhaps there were some elk that were set to watch and spread the word to the rest. 

Read More: Four Animals you can Hunt Year Round in Utah

I still think the elk might have more going on than we think. If you see any of these large animals carrying a smart phone and checking the DWR website, you may have solved the mystery.