Elk Feeding at Oak Creek Wildlife Area

Here are few amazing elk views you will see at this event. Over a thousand will show up, but many will first clime up the huge hills and then descend as their food is passed out. And you can take a tour given to you by Oak Creek and get very close to them as they wait for their lunch. Unlike the elk you run into in the wild the elk here do not seem to be frightened by any human activity. And when their food has been spread out you will be amazed at the number of these animals that show up. Oak Creek Wildlife has been doing this for many years and the elk families know when to show up. The species here is the more common one called the Rocky Mountain Elk. The main features of this species are its pale body with dark heads, necks, and legs. Mail elks have the obvious feature at this time of year – big antlers. By the end of March, however, those antlers will have disappeared. The other elk specie we have here in the NW is the Roosevelt elk. These are a bit larger, orange brown in their entire body and are found further to the west.

On Sunday, 19 January, my wife and I drove to the Oak Creek Wildlife Area hoping to see the elk feeding event again. We had seen this before but this time was even more exciting. Why? Because getting there before the food is laid out gives you a chance to observe elk herds coming down from the mountains and take a tour to view the elks as they wait to eat. The voluntary personnel at Oak Creek Wildlife back up a large vehicle for visitors and then take you out. With you in the vehicle is a elk expert who gives a very good briefing on these large deer species. To take this nice drive all you have to do is register at the office first and get your ticket. There is no charge for the ticket but a donation is a good thing to do. Seeing this is a wonderful event for children and adults. It sometime starts in December but January and February are the more usual months. Feeding begins 1:30 p.m. This is located in the just outside of Naches in the Yakima county. If you are up north here take RT 12 east, and as you finally get close to Naches look to your left for the Oak Creek Wildlife Area sign and pull in. The Oak Creek Wildlife Area has done a lot to preserve the elks and I strongly recommend visiting there and donating what you can. And it will be a great experience for you and your children. And considering our unusual cold but dry weather now, next weekend will be a good time to visit Oak Creek Wildlife Area and see this amazing sight.