You just can't get a real sense of an elk's stature from a photo. The fact that they can weigh up to 1,000 pounds, and stand five feet tall and up to ten feet long, not including a bull's antlers (or "rack") that can span 5 feet across, doesn't convey the power and majestic presence of these magnificent creatures in person. They're a symbol of the wild spirit of the American West, inspiring an awe and appreciation of nature in people from the beginning of time.
The elk is also known as Wapiti, an Algonquin word for white, a reference to the white patch of hair on most elks' rumps. Arizona's high country, the White Mountains, and the area between Flagstaff and Sedona in particular are prime habitats for elk, which prefer sparse forests dotted with plenty of open meadows for grazing. Elk will spend eight to twelve hours a day feeding on grasses and leaves, and like domestic cows, regurgitate partially digested food back up for another chew before fully digesting it.
Don't let the serene expression of a grazing elk cow fool you into thinking an elk's life is all contemplative munching, however. These powerful and volatile creatures, particularly the males, are known for their dramatic behavior when threatened or during mating season. In the fall, bull elk compete with one another for mating rights to "harems" of cows. They engage in an assortment of posturing to convince the girls that they're the biggest and baddest boys in these parts, which include strutting, bugling, wallowing in mud and urinating on plants which they then drape on their antlers. (Want a good laugh? Imagine an amorous human male engaging in that last ritual. It gets funnier every time.) A particularly successful male can lay claim to a harem of up to 60 cows.
In some Native American symbolism, the elk is linked to male seductive power and virility, and a man who's particularly lucky in love is said to possess "Elk Magic." 
