Bull elk are famous for their annual antler growth cycle which can produce a solid bone rack weighing up to 40 pounds on a mature male. Elk have the fastest growing antlers in the deer family which can grow up to one inch per day during the velvet stage when they are covered in a soft vascular skin.
Antlers are physiologically costly to grow but necessary during the elk breeding season or rut when they are used in battles to establish dominance and mating rights. Nonviolent posturing is usually sufficient but equally matched males will fight and they use an antler forward approach.
Elk will also use their antler to protect themselves and drive away perceived threats whether they be natural or manmade. Colorado is home to a robust elk population with 290,000 estimated living in the state and elk encounters happen every day. When encountering an elk it is best to give it space and retreat if possible to avoid provoking an aggressive response. This is true when on foot or in a vehicle. This driver learned an expensive lesson about giving elk proper.
While popping the tire wasn’t a response to the driver’s fighting words, moving towards an elk can be perceived as a threat by the animal and this was an easily avoidable situation. Let this driver’s actions serve as a lesson to give wildlife proper distance and avoid confrontational behavior. Learn more about elk safety from the Estes Park Police Department below.
Elk Safety Guidelines:
• Elk are wild animals which must be observed from a safe distance to avoid injury or death. If an animal is carefully watching you and appears “jumpy” when you move, you are too close.
• Keep pets secured on a leash and do not allow them to bark at, lunge at, or chase wildlife.
• Never block traffic. Move your vehicle to a safe place completely off the roadway to watch elk.
• Do not imitate an elk call, or bugle, when elk are irritable during the rut. This can endanger you and the elk.
• Elk know no boundaries, but people do. Respect private property when viewing wildlife.