Will Wichita see more elk in city limits? Here’s what a Kansas wildlife official says

An elk sighting this week in Wichita could be a sign that the elk population is growing in Kansas.

Matt Peek, wildlife research biologist with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, said that while Monday’s sighting of an elk in city limits is not likely to be common in the future, it points to a trend that’s worth keeping an eye on.

“The number of elk in the state have increased recent years, and I’m talking over the past 10 or 15 years, so [while] the likelihood of that happening is a little bit greater ... I would not expect it to be common, you know, to become a common thing by any means,” Peek told The Eagle on Wednesday.

Elk can be found in multiple habitats, including forests and mountains, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Elk are part of the deer family, and males can weight between 700 and 1,100 pounds. Females usually weight between 500 and 600 pounds. Elks are herbivores, eating things like shrubs, grasses and leaves.

Male elks grow their antlers prior to mating season. Antlers weigh up to 40 pounds and our shed every spring, the U.S. Forest Service says.

Elk sightings like the one in northeast Wichita early Monday usually occur in western states where elk go into cities to find food sources, but in this instance, that was most likely not the case.

While the reasons for the elk sighting isn’t completely known, Peek said situations like this usually occur when elks are traveling across landscapes.

“Sometimes they just find themselves in urban areas, sort of on accident,” Peek said. “I don’t think it intended to go there. It was probably just generally moving in that direction, and found itself in town.

“Then there’s all types of stuff going on around it, and they can get sort of pushed and peered harder in and into places that they wouldn’t otherwise be found and that they would prefer not to be.”

When elk are spotted in rural areas, one of two things usually happen. Either the elk will be far enough on the edge of town to eventually find their way back to urban areas by themselves, or the elk will get pushed toward the edge, eventually leaving town — which is what Peek believes happened in this instance.

Where can elk be found in Kansas?

Peek said while Monday’s sighting caught locals’ attention, the existence of elk in Kansas is what he wants people to take away from it.

“The bigger story is the fact that there are elk out there on the Kansas, you know, in the rural landscape that a lot of people aren’t familiar with,” Peek said. “This is sort of a relatively rare event, but it is an indication that there are, that there actually are elk out there on the landscape moving around.”

Peek said elk have been spotted on the edges of cities.

“I have a picture of one that’s on the outskirts of the Hays,” Peek said. “There was one that came through ... in or near Topeka.”

Currently, there is a known herd near Fort Riley as well as several herds on private lands in central and south central Kansas, Peek said.

Peek said overall, it’s important to remember that elk do exist in Kansas, after all.

“Most people are surprised at that, because they think of elk as being ... a species of the west or of the mountains,” Peek said.