Waking up to find a deer, elk, or another animal in your backyard isn’t all that surprising, depending on where you live. Waking up to find an entire herd of elk packed into your backyard is a bit of a different story.
Colorado has the largest elk population in the United States, with around 280,000 animals living throughout the mountainous regions. They’re often spotted foraging in meadows and alpine tundra, occasionally moving in herds of several hundred individuals.
The large population hasn’t always been the case, though. In fact in the 1900s only 40,000 elk remained in all of North America as unregulated market hunting decimated their populations. In 1916 50 elk were imported from Wyoming to Colorado, and the dedicated work of Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff have allowed the population to grow into what it is today, creating the possibility for scenes like the one filmed in Loveland, Colorado, below.
While an impressive sight, it’s important to remember that elk are wild animals and can be dangerous if threatened or provoked. Always keep plenty of space between you and the animal, generally at least 75 feet. If elk are watching you closely and appear jumpy when you move, you are too close.
