Colorado’s elk population is huge, with around 280,000 living throughout the state. They live throughout most of the mountainous region, foraging in meadows and alpine tundra while sometimes living in herds of several hundred individuals. They once lived throughout the state’s eastern planes as well, but market hunting nearly led to their extinction. The 1916 implantation of 50 elk from Wyoming helped to reestablish the dwindling herds, bringing the population back up to where it is today over a century later.
The massive population makes Colorado one of the best states for elk viewing. Estes Park, a town located just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park, frequently sees an influx of visitors during the fall rut season when the bull elk are known to put on great battle displays for their harems, but elk are around all year. While the males are particularly dangerous in the mating season, female elk can get incredibly aggressive toward people while protecting their young in the spring.
This incident was filmed in Estes Park earlier this month. Travel influencer Drew of destinationswithdrew spotted a man really close to a cow elk around 11am and a police officer with an air horn pacing nearby. It quickly became clear that the man was trapped, with a nearby baby elk causing the cow to get so aggressive. The man was just walking on the trail when the elk attempted to attack, leading to a police response. Apparently the guy had been stuck for around 30 minutes prior to Drew’s arrival, and policemade taser sounds, blasted air horns, and threw rocks to eventually get the elk far enough away for the him to escape.
The elk calving season runs through May and June every year, and cow elk become quickly irritable and protective of their young. Like the bull elk during the rut, cow elk are extremely dangerous during the season. The spring brings near daily calls for police officers to respond to elk issues throughout Estes Park, many of which are caused by people. Marked calving areas should always be avoided, and all elk should always be given a wide berth at all times. Read more on elk safety in Estes Park below.
Estes Park Elk Safety Guidelines:
The Police Department provides the following tips to visitors for safe elk viewing:
- 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.
- The Estes Park Police Department does enforce wildlife laws including laws against feeding or harassing wildlife, or allowing one’s pet to harass wildlife.
