That Sitka camo works like a charm.
Encounters like this can teach hunters a lot when you are able to get this close to an animal. It shows how being still, having control of your scent, and proper camouflage for certain species will work just as planned.
Elk are one massive animal and a favorite in the hunting community. Widely renowned as the best wild game to eat out there, they weigh in up to 1,000-pounds with an incredible rack of antlers that can be up to 6-feet long. Their bugle during the rut calling to females is one of the coolest sounds you can hear in the woods, and one that excites elk hunters to no end. Why? Because when these bulls are all horned up and looking to mate, that’s when you can catch these incredibly elusive animals slipping.
But, most of the time, it’s just not that easy to get close to one. And to get this close? Well, that’s near impossible…
This video shows the calmness of one Colorado hunter in one of these wild situations, as a big bull elk brings his harem of cows towards a man kneeling up behind a tree. Decked out in Sitka’s Subalpine camouflage, being as quiet as possible with little to no movements, none of the elk in the area see him, or perhaps more importantly, pick up his scent. Eventually, a cow gets right up in his kitchen and takes a whiff of his backpack. She jumps and startles the rest of the herd, but she doesn’t run… she knows something is up, but isn’t quite sure what it is.
Eventually they all take off the other direction, but not exactly in the mad dash that you might expect when a confirmed predator is in the area. It was more of a “something ain’t right… let’s not stick around to find out.”
The hunter recalled the once in a lifetime encounter:
“Probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced! Me and my long time hunting buddy Hill Guides & Outfitters sat here for 15 minutes watching this group of elk do what they do. Watching the bull herding his cows this close was incredible. I’d say the Subalpine Sitka Gear is the real deal! Who knew elk liked Kifaru, International backpacks too.”
All you Sitka haters can pipe down…
Aggressive Bull Elk Squares Up With Photographer
At least he probably got some good pictures out of the whole ordeal…
It’s hard to imagine what you’d do if you found yourself in a predicament like this. A young, aggressive bull elk, has you pinned on the ground, and his two small, but sharp, antlers are just waiting to rip through your neck.
Here, the man stayed incredibly calm which would be nearly impossible to do. Most people would get up and run for the hills, but that’s usually a mistake when it comes to aggressive wildlife. You run, they chase you, you die… it can go bad. Staying as calm as possible is usually the right move in these situations, but you should still try to get away from the animal as quickly as possible.
Even though this elk is young, and perhaps even being a bit playful, it could have seriously injured this man. It could have gored him, stomped him out, or just ran him right over. The video starts with the young bull elk with his forehead pressed up against the mans hear as he sits crisscross applesauce on the ground.
The man keeps his head down as the elk keeps ramming his head into him, and the whole time you’re just waiting for one of those antlers to cut into him. This continues on and the man stays put as the elk even stabs at him a few times. The elk circles around to his backside and the man flips around to see him coming. The elk starts to get a little more aggressive and the man pushes his antlers off a few times.
The wild part is when it backs off for a second and the man starts snapping photos.
This is where I really think he is a little dumb… this animal is fairly aggressive and he is still calm enough to take photos. It makes a person wonder if he does understand the danger. It keeps ramming the man and eventually he gets up and backs up as a car comes in closer. He hops in the vehicle and the elk starts sniffing all his gear. The elk digs through it and they honk at it to scare it off.
Sadly, they ended up in the euthanizing of the Elk according to Gatlinburg Tn Guide.
The elk continued to show signs of aggression and the only real option was to put it down with there being so many people going through the area. The sad part is that it’s all the fault of humans. And really, if this photographer had of backed away and not brought so much attention to the elk it probably would have made out fine.
“The elk had been coming back to that area in search of food, and had begun associating humans with food… it could not be re-trained to be fearful of humans.”
If we let the animals be wild, and enjoy from afar, the risks are much lower and better for nature in general. That’s what these parks are for, it’s not a zoo, the animals are not interactive. When they get used to humans it really never results in much good, not for the tourists, and not for the animals.
Nevertheless, what a wild encounter.
