These elk will get ya…
Getting gored must be a nightmare. These massive animals have literal swords sticking out of their head.
Elk are one of the largest species of deer found in North America with bulls weighing up to 1000 pounds and standing up to 5 feet tall at the shoulder. Cows are smaller, weighing up to 500 pounds and standing around 4 feet tall at the shoulder.
Elk have huge antlers that can grow up to 4 feet in length and weigh up to 40 pounds. Antlers are grown and shed each year, with the largest antlers typically being grown by older, more dominant bulls. Antlers are primarily used for display and competition between males during the breeding season, although they may also be used for defense.
Elk are generally not aggressive towards humans, but they have been known to attack and injure humans, particularly during the breeding season when males are more territorial and aggressive. Attacks are most commonly associated with human approach or provocation, such as getting too close to a bull elk during the breeding season or disturbing a group of elk.
Back in the fall of 2020, this Colorado man was out for a day of golf when they came across an aggressive bull on the course.
According to his Facebook post, Zak Bornhoft was golfing at the Evergreen Golf Course outside of Denver when he and his buddies were surrounded by a gang of elk on the course.
And while they were doing their best to keep their distance, a bull elk charged their golf cart somewhere between the 16th and 17th hole. The driver gunned it to get away, but the bull still managed to gore Zak in his right side, tearing his kidney into three pieces.
“The elk owned the property and he didn’t want us on it… I didn’t do anything wrong, I didn’t try to play with the Elk, I took pictures from a distance and zoomed in the photos. The driver of my cart is devastated but there wasn’t really anything he could do. We were just trying to get away.”
Zak recovered at the hospital, despite spending a handful of days in the ICU:
“Thanks everyone for the love and support for me at this time. I love golfing, I love nature, I also respect nature, but sometimes things just go wrong. That’s what happened to me.”
Battling a bad infection, Zak was able to make some large strides in the months that followed and by December, he was recovered about 80%.
According to Colorado Avid Golfer, he was close to losing his life, but at the time, was expected to make a full recovery.
“I would say I’m at about 80 percent—but I’m definitely not doing any somersaults or jumping jacks by any means… I still have a kidney issue, and there’s some nerve damage…it’s (recovery) still a process.”
I great reminder to stay clear of those wild animals.
