Don B. writes:

>Now, though, I'm curious - where and when did the myth develop
>that they were strictly a plains/open country critter that
>adapted to forest conditions in response to human-caused
>habitat destruction arise?


I don't know about the forest/plains myth (or if there even was such a
myth), but habitat destruction keeps getting mentioned. My impression
(unsubstantiated at the moment by references) was that elk were wiped out of
most of their former range by over-hunting, not habitat destruction. They
don't seem that sensitive to habitat, except for the presence or absence of
flying bullets.

Kelly Cassidy