This paper reports on the growth of an isolated elk (Cervus elaphus ne
lsoni) population that became established naturally in a large block o
f shrub-steppe habitat in eastern Washington. Habitat quality in the a
rea was high as was the potential for achieving maximum or near-maximu
m rates of sustained population growth. Nearly 20 years of trend data
on the population yielded an overall rate of increase of 20% per year.
A high annual survival (0.98) was calculated. An initially high calf-
cow ratio was reduced in later years of the study, but causes could no
t be determined. The reproductive and survival data indicate a maximum
rate of increase of 24% per year, and the data were used to show that
a feasible maximum sustainable rate for elk may be as high as 28%.