Videos of elk duking it out in the Rocky Mountain National Park are hardly a rare sight, especially during rutting season, which happens to be taking place right now. But sometimes the elk decide to engage in combat in a setting that takes the spectacle up to a whole new level of epic.
Which is exactly what’s happened in this clip posted on Twitter by Seth Boster earlier this week, and shared by The Gazette. These two guys have decided to take their fight into the middle of Lake Estes in Colorado, with the Rocky Mountains as their majestic backdrop.
The Battle of Lake Estes @csgazette pic.twitter.com/ziNmXpVnqISeptember 27, 2022
Lake Estes is in the small town of Estes Park, which is situated on the edge of the Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s only seven square miles in area, with a population of just 6,500, though it’s always rammed with tourists, because it’s known to be a great place to encounter wildlife without actually having to do anything as strenuous as hiking into the mountains. One of the comments on this video recalls a round of golf at the town’s golf course that was interrupted by rutting elk.
If you’re wondering why the elk aren’t sinking into lake – which is about 45 feet deep at its maximum depth (not exactly deep for a lake, but more than deep enough to swallow an elk a few times over) – it's because they’re fighting in an overflow area, across a road away from the main part of Estes Lake, which can be quite shallow at times.
For safety tips, see our guide to enjoying the elk rutting season safely.
