Talk about all factions of nature coming together to create an epic scene…
Given Yellowstone National Park’s location in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, it’s no wonder the most popular season for visitors is summer.
According to NPS data, 2,663,945 recreational visits were made to Yellowstone in June, July, and August alone. Year to date, the park has hosted 3,313,244 visits, up a whopping 36% from 2022.
But, if you want a chance to view some incredible wildlife without battling the enormous summer crowds, you have to be willing to risk a bit of weather, which this guy did when he made an RV trip to the park in May of 2022.
While most of the country is starting to crank up the A/C at that point of the year, Yellowstone is far from out of the rough and he ran into a bit of a snow storm while taking in the incredible landscapes and wildlife.
If you ask me though, it was well worth it from the sight he captured.
This video begins with an elk having just sprinted across a road with two wolves hot on its tail. They enter a rough, hilly landscape with scalding hot steam from underground vents piping up into the air, each one sprinting as hard as they can, as a third wolf enters the chase.
Given its ability in the water, the elk enters a stream to try and throw the wolves off, but it doesn’t work and one by one they enter the moving water and start to circle up the poor creature.
Credit where it’s due, this elk tries with all its might to escape, running back and forth and making some daring passes through the defenses of the canines. During this whole ordeal, a snow storm starts to blow through, proving these animals are tough as nails and adding a cinematic like effect to the whole thing.
The exhausting chase goes on for minutes, but it’s clear the wolves are not going to be stopping and the elk is getting tired. While we don’t get to see the end result, the video’s caption sums it up well.
“I felt so lucky and exhilarated at the time, only focused on keeping them in the shot. Only when I started editing back home I kinda started feeling sorry for the deer [sic]. She might have only just given birth to a calf and she knows full well that if she dies now, they will die too.
Btw the wolves didn’t get the deer [sic] after the freeze-frame. They kept going back and forth some more and ultimately ran past a hill, but the deer [sic] seemed exhausted at that point so I’m pretty sure they got her in the end. She definitely gave it her all though. “
A display of nature at its finest in one of the best locations to see it.
This is the beauty of Yellowstone National Park.
