Oak Creek Wildlife Area

During the winter, as many as 1200 elk come down into the Oak Creek Wildlife Area outside of Naches on Highway 12 for a daily free lunch. Some of them stick around in the feeding area like this guy. Others go back up into the hills between meals.

I asked about this bull's collar. Some of the animals wear radio or satellite collars which allow the Department of Fish and Wildlife to track the migratory patterns of the herd. One cow elk, I was told, was tracked from the Selah area clear to Greenwater on the far side of Chinook Pass. Quite a wanderer.