In a video shared Tuesday in Denver7’s photography group on Facebook, an elk can be seen charging at a passing sport utility vehicle as a group of neighbors looks on.
The 20-second clip, shared in the Discover Colorado | Through Your Photos group, begins with a stoic bull elk in the yard of an Evergreen home. The woman who shared it, April-Lee Pearson, said a group of people seen in the video had been walking on the road and moved into a neighbor’s yard to keep safe distance.
She started recording from an elevated porch of her home when she noticed the elk taking off behind a neighbor's house.
About 12 seconds into the video, the elk charges at a Toyota 4Runner driving down the street. A loud noise is heard as the elk apparently rams the rear driver side bumper of the SUV.
- Watch the video in the player below:
Roughly mid-September to mid-October is elk rutting season, or mating season, in Colorado. Many people flock to the mountains and foothills to see the beautiful creatures this time of year.
We shared the video with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and asked what Coloradans need to know about the encounter and about rutting season, also known as the rut.
“Bull elk are extremely territorial during mating season and will confront any challengers to their mating prospects,” Kara Van Hoose, the public information officer for CPW’s Northeast Region, told Denver7 in an email. “The best way to observe the rut is from afar. Elk are wild animals. You don't want to come between them and their drive to mate.”
Van Hoose said neither the driver nor the onlookers appeared to err in the scene captured on video. Still, it serves as a reminder that elk should be given as much space as possible during mating season.
“Stay in your car or keep a solid object between yourself and an elk if you're going to take pictures,” Van Hoose said.
The Town of Estes Park, which hosts its annual Elk Fest this coming weekend, has shared a list of elk safety tips online. Those tips include keeping pets on leashes and away from wildlife, respecting private property and avoiding imitating an elk call. Onlookers should also keep traffic flow in mind and not block roads while sightseeing.
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