Wind Cave Offering Elk Bugling Programs

Rangers at Wind Cave will be offering programs this September to listen for elk bugling in the park.

NPS Photo

News Release Date: August 28, 2014

Contact: Tom Farrell, 605-745-1130

WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, S.D. –Rangers at Wind Cave National Park will be leading programs this September to listen for the bugle of the Rocky Mountain elk. The elk's high-pitched whistle heralds the arrival of fall and the elk's mating season.

Throughout the month of September, rangers are giving brief interpretive programs about elk before leading a caravan to a nearby pullout to
listen for them. These programs are offered Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings through September 30. Participants meet at the Elk Mountain Campground Amphitheater at 7 p.m. and are encouraged to bring a flashlight, a camp chair or blanket to sit on, and to dress warmly.

"If you've never heard an elk before, we encourage you to come out and listen," said Park Superintendent Vidal Dávila. "The call of a bugling elk is definitely one of the Black Hills' more unique wild sounds." Visit the park's website at https://www.nps.gov/wica/naturescience/elk.htm
to listen to an elk.

The fall ranger program schedule also includes Natural Entrance Tours of Wind Cave throughout the day. Participants are encouraged to bring a light coat or sweater and good walking shoes. The tour lasts approximately 75 minutes and involves 300 stairs, most of which are going down.

The park visitor center is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through September 20 and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. September 21 through October 11.

The park's winter interpretive schedule begins on October 12 with tours of the Garden of Eden at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. and visitor center hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call the park at [phone].