Elk range in color from dark brown in winter to tan in summer and have a brown colored rump and long thin legs. The head, neck, belly, and legs are darker than the back and sides. Elk generally have a long head with large ears. The adult male, know as a buck, has widely branching antlers as long as 1 to 1.5 m from tip to tip. They feed on grasses, sedges, and forbs in summer and woody growth in the winter months. Woody plants include cedar, wintergreen, eastern hemlock, sumac, jack pine, red maple, staghorn, and basswood. Antlers can weigh up to 40 pounds per set. Velvet, which covers antlers during the growth phase, carries blood to the growing bone tissue. A full-grown bull could weigh up to 1,000 pounds, stand 50-60 inches tall at the shoulder, and carry a rack of antlers six feet in length.

Elk prefer open woodlands and avoid dense unbroken forests. Elk can be found in coniferous swamps, clear cuts, aspen-hardwood forests, and coniferous-hardwood forests. Elk thrived in North America until the first Europeans began settling the area. Prior to their arrival, an estimated 10 million elk ranged across the United States. Elk habitat was lost as thousands of acres were cleared for farms and developing towns. As a result of over-harvest and habitat destruction, elk populations began to decline.