Tule Elk State Natural Reserve

Tule Elk State Natural Reserve in Kern County protects the tule elk, a California Central Valley subspecies once reduced by hunting and habitat loss to only double digits in the late 1800s. Surviving animals sheltered near Buena Vista Lake recovered under the care of Henry Miller, and that herd later supplied elk for the reserve’s predecessor in 1932. California assumed control in 1953. Managed for both conservation and limited public viewing, the 960-acre reserve maintains a small herd with constructed ponds and supplemental food. It has also helped restore tule elk statewide by providing animals for new herds, contributing to a population of about 6,000 by 2023.

California · United States