Our introduction to Rocky Mountain National Park looked like this:
We weren’t even in the park 2 minutes when we came upon a bull elk with his harem. There was only one other vehicle in the vicinity at the time–a van–and the elk was eyeballing it suspiciously. The driver of the van began moving forward slowly and the elk followed as if he were deciding whether or not to attack.
We didn’t know if he’d charge a vehicle or not, but we stayed put just in case.
He lost interest in the van when another bull came toward his harem. He ran to his cows and chased the challenger across the road right in front of our vehicle. We quickly learned that elk can run very fast, and they are not afraid to use their antlers. We were quite fortunate—but a little freaked out—to see such action up close.
Throughout the morning the park filled with people and every once in awhile we’d come upon a mass of parked cars where people had spotted elk. The elk were much further from the roadway in wooded areas, but that didn’t stop the crazy people with cameras. Many had left their cars and were sneaking right up to the harems.
If only they knew how fast an agitated elk can move.