The area in question is home to 1,600 threatened species, including grizzly bears, elk, lynx and cut-throat trout and steelhead.
But when they looked only to their footing, they did not see the elk.
Signaling is also rampant in the animal world, from peacock feathers to elk battles and the subject of a vibrant and related research program.
The object, which will be documented in the March issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science, is made out of a large elk antler and has been radiocarbon dated to about 10,900 years ago.
In fall, the bull elk are in full rut and occasionally can be spotted in the basin as they gather their harems.
I covered the elk with a tarp and sat down near it, wrapping myself in blankets.
The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.
Already, herds of elk, deer, and pronghorn antelope roam the grasslands, where visitors can camp, hike, and bike.
It is estimated that during the winter of 1874-1875, not less than 3,000 buffalo and mule deer suffer even more severely than the elk, and the antelope nearly as much.
Moose stay in what remains of New England's wilds; undomesticated bison are restricted to a few great Plains patches; grizzly bear are practically gone; elk are - well, great, but they're not huge.
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