There was a true battle of the bulls in Estes Park, Colorado recently, and someone in the area got it all on tape.
It’s estimated that over 280,000 elk live in Colorado, which is enough to give the state the honor of housing the largest concentrated population of elk in the world. Believe it or not, that many elk bring in tourists from all over the planet, and one of the more popular places they visit is Estes Park, Colorado.
The town acts as somewhat of a base for the Rocky Mountain National Park, and always has elk moving through and around the city limits. Herds occasionally take over Estes Park, and the humans that call the town home are often witnesses to elk-on-elk encounters… like this one that was captured on camera.
A parked car turned into a front-row seat for a heavyweight match between two sizable bull elk. Strangely, this antler clashing took place outside of the regular elk rut season. It’s normal for bull elk to be more aggressive and vocal from September to November. They starting “acting up” during that period of time to establish dominance, and in hopes of securing a female mate.
This video below appears to have been recorded in the past couple of days. Though they could still be fighting over the females running by, this could be more of a territorial tussle. Regardless of what they are battling for or over, the two elk didn’t hold any punches (can an elk hold a punch?) and went all out in this intense push-of-war face off.
The pair of elk didn’t care that they were fighting with humans nearby. In fact, they were so preoccupied with one another that they hardly even noticed the buildings and cars that were in close proximity. They took turns using their antlers to push against one another, but it was the elk that had the high ground that ended up having the upper hand (or upper hoof?).
At first, the match up seemed rather even. However, as the antlers of the two bulls remained locked together, the one standing a touch higher on the hill began asserting its power. All of the sudden, the balanced fight became overwhelming, and one elk was quite literally on its heels as it tried to avoid getting toppled over. The bull at the disadvantage was also just trying to get its antlers untangled so it could better counter (or even escape) its Estes Park opponent.
Check it out:
“Battle of the Bulls in Estes Park!”
Shoutout to Ashtyn Olsen for getting that video.
And props to everyone else in the area for staying far enough away to safely witness the two wild animals clashing. According to National Park guidelines, people should stay at least 25 yards away from elk. If you are out in elk country and happen to see a fight like this one brewing, it doesn’t hurt to give the antlered animals some extra room.
You know… just to be safe.
