American elk (6)
I believe the answer is:
wapiti
'american elk' is the definition.
(synonyms)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for wapiti that I've seen before include "North American native" , "Deer with much-branched antlers" , "I paw it (anag) - large North American deer" , "Red deer - I paw it (anag)" , "Animal" .)