Sunday, April 10, 2016

Regal Point Elk Farm

One of the most interesting farms we visited on the maple syrup tour was Regal Point Elk Farm.  It raises elk for a variety of products, and also has a maple syrup operation tapping 1000 trees.  Today I'll share some pictures of the elk, and tomorrow, some more details about the maple syrup.

How's this for a farm gate!?  This long lane leads between the two elk pastures all the way back to the sugar bush, so you see the elk up close and personal as you drive in to visit the sugar shack.

The cows are in one pasture, all of them behind tall 7 foot fences.

A few were eating hay, placed beside the fence so visitors would get to see them,

But others were peacefully lying in the -5C sunshine.  As you can see, we still have snow!

The male elk were on the other side, with antlers just beginning to grow.  The blue contraption is part of a feeding bin.

There were some pretty handsome looking bulls in the field.

You can check out the farm's website, which tells you a lot about the elk raising; they're obviously used to people and didn't move away from the fence at all.

There was one pair of hard antlers mounted up near the gate.  I was surprised to learn that the most valuable product is actually the velvet antler, which has medical benefits for both humans and dogs.  As well the hard antler is harvested and sold; you can buy it in pet stores.  They also sell breeding stock, and have brought in high quality bulls to enhance the herd genetics, always aiming for better antlers.  As well elk meat is sold.  Unfortunately they don't sell to the public; all sales are wholesale, but elk meat sounds good!  It has less fat, less cholesterol, fewer calories, and more protein than chicken, turkey, beef or pork.  They do sell maple syrup, and point out that it has far more nutritional value than white sugar or honey (but it's also a lot more expensive)!  they're heavily involved in fund-raising for the local Rotary Club through their maple syrup events.

Quite the interesting farm to visit!  Tomorrow - the sugar bush.

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19 comments:

  1. Great photos of the elk. I enjoyed this post.

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  2. Elk looks wonderful. It has a unique entrance which attracts everyone to peep inside. Horns are beautiful...

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  3. What a beautiful place with such an impressive entrance. You photograph the elk well!!

    To answer your question about the robins, well, I can't really answer it. I always see a large group, 100's, in early spring and then they just taper off and I see them like any other bird in the yard. They were early this year and the group was huge!

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  4. Do they raise the elk for food? Or are they just for show?

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  5. That gate is spectacular! Interesting about the velvet. I had no idea.

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  6. I sure wouldn't mind visiting this place...

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  7. What a wonderful entrance, and the elk, still with good winter coats on. What a busy farming combination .

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  8. Hello, what a beautiful entrance. The gate is beautiful. I love to see the wild elk, I did not know there were elk farms for the meat. Great post and photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Enjoy your day and the new week ahead!

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  9. That entrance is pretty spectacular I'd say ...

    All the best Jan

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  10. Love that gate, and the closeups of the animals. Those budding antlers look a little silly to my eyes. :-)

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  11. What a really neat place to visit. AND perfect for photos.

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  12. The gate is an amazing piece of art with the combination of Elk and maples.

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  13. What a wonderful place to visit, love your photos.

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  14. That is one cool gate, love it.

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  15. Great shots of the elk! There's a farmer at our main market who sells elk meat.

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  16. I remember hearing the call of the elk in Colorado. It is such a great thing to hear. The gate took me back at first as I thought how did they get that sign to fit between those trees. It is a nice gate. It would be fun to see the farm. We have a zoo like thing near us where they have three elk and some buffalo in a pen. I think it is a state park and they have always had them there. Our Neal Smith refuge is all prairie and buffalo.

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  17. Very interesting post and that gateway is really beautiful. I didn't know that about elk antlers and meat.

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