[bowhunter]

I was caught off guard last night while on my road bike. I looked over and watched a cow graze along the Jordan River in Draper. I knew if I didn't get a picture it would just be a "big deer" or something so here is the picture. Sorry it's blurry it was about 300 yards away. Pretty awesome to know she only a few miles from my house.

 

[utahgolf]

so that's where the wasatch elk herd has been hanging out!

 

[bowhunter]

Forgot the attachment...Not much of a tall tale without a pic.

 

[hazmat]

Oh crap the dwr will count that as 1200 head of cow for the wasatch during there fly over this year. All kidding aside thats pretty cool

 

[bowhunter]

Sized a little bigger

 

[c3hammer]

Wow, wouldn't have believed that one.

Cheers,
Pete

 

[MWScott72]

Pretty odd...but pretty cool too!

 

[nickpan]

There's been a lot of talk the last few years about that. I've spent a lot of time down there and never seen one. Pretty cool. A bull got hit by a car on Bangerter and the river bottoms a few months back. Pretty big bull too

 

[swbuckmaster]

I've seen elk down there about ten years ago when I was surveying along the Jordan river. I have no idea how they get there. I've also seen coyotes, foxes, and I've seen lion tracks in the snow.

 

[silentstalker]

There's been a lot of talk the last few years about that. I've spent a lot of time down there and never seen one. Pretty cool. A bull got hit by a car on Bangerter and the river bottoms a few months back. Pretty big bull too

Yeah that bull was a very nice 6x6. Shame... There are not many that stay down there but they have existed for a long time.

 

[Doc]

I saw a cow elk run across Redwood road between Camp Williams and Bluffdale a few years ago. Had to look twice to believe it.

 

[WillowCreekMan]

My theory is that these elk are coming down out of the Oquirrh mountains. A few years back I was headed south on Redwood Road near Camp Williams and about 7 cow elk crossed the road single file in front of me headed toward the river bottoms

 

[elkmule123]

Yeah the cows get hit regularly out there on Redwood rd by Camp Williams.

 

[30-06-hunter]

Didn't there used to be a fairly large herd by point of the mountain before all of the new development?

 

[Duckholla]

Back in the day, elk were a flat land roaming grazer. Truth be told, they prefer the valley as opposed to the hills. If you watch how elk move, and graze they will always take the path of least resistance when not pressured. They are a lazy animal by comparison in unpressured situations. Doesn't surprise me at all to see one this low.

 

[johnnycake]

There is a conservation easement in that area, and the Utah Open Lands has regularly monitored a herd of about 25 animals that live year round along the river.

The point of the mountain herd is still there, they never went into the fields by Micron (to my knowledge) this winter likely due to the lack of snow. But it is a pretty good sized herd, and you can often spot them from the neighborhoods on the ridge.