In the wake of famed grizzlies getting hit by vehicles, drivers continue to lead-foot it through Grand Teton National Park, and now moose are getting plowed into.
Four moose have been killed within the past couple of weeks, including a famous bull called Elk Antler. He was so named because of the unique shape of one of his paddles (a common name for moose antlers).
Elk Antler was hit and killed Friday near Schwabacher Landing, a popular viewpoint in Grand Teton, tour guide Tristen Moffett of Jackson said.
“Elk Antler, he was extra special. One of his paddles didn’t look like a moose paddle at all. It looked like an elk antler,” she said.
Two other bull moose and a cow moose have also been recently hit and killed, she said.
Grand Teton’s premier bull moose, Hoback, has stayed safe so far. But he’s also been spotted crossing highways in Grand Teton, raising concerns that he could be next, she said.
Moffett and other wildlife watchers told Cowboy State Daily that there’s growing concern for wildlife in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park.
More visitors keep showing up and crowding the highways, particularly during the spring and fall “shoulder seasons” when animals can be the most vulnerable, they said.
A Series Of Bear Collisions
Over the past couple of years, there’s been a toll of high-profile grizzly bears.
The world’s most beloved bear, Grizzly 399, was struck and killed by a vehicle south of Jackson in October 2024.
In May, one of her male offspring, Grizzly 1058, was hit and killed in GrandTeton. He came from Grizzly 399’s famous 2020 litter of quadruplets.
Another of Grizzly 399’s grown offspring, Grizzly 610, was stuck and injured by a vehicle in Grand Teton in October 2023.
She languished by the roadside in pain for hours, before finally getting up and walking away, to rejoin her nearby cubs.
Local wildlife photographer Jacob Krank was one of the first on the scene when Grizzly 610 was struck. At the time, he told Cowboy State Daily that he was fed up with drivers speeding through the park.
Things have only gotten worse since, he said on Monday.
He recalled that a few nights ago, he saw a pickup blast past his and two other vehicles in Grand Teton.
“This pickup truck was going so fast, I couldn’t even read the license plates. It triple-passed us (three vehicles in a row) on a double yellow line,” he said.
The pickup was speeding through an area called Elk Ranch Flats, Krank added.
“There’s bison on the road at Elk Ranch Flats all the time,” he said.
‘Shoulder Seasons’ Getting Busier
Grand Teton and Yellowstone continue to draw record crowds of visitors every year.
There’s also been a trend toward more people showing up during the previously-quite “shoulder seasons,” in spring and fall.
During the spring, animals are severely weakened after fighting to survive the winter. Even a little extra stress from gawking tourists who get too close can be enough to kill some of them.
And as they migrate between summer and winter range, there will be more of them crossing highways.
During the fall, the rut, or mating season, kicks in for elk, moose and other species.
Moffett said that the bull moose that have been getting hit in Grand Teton might have been distracted by the rut.
“They are running everywhere” looking for cow moose to mate with, and crossing roads more frequently, said Moffett, who owns Roam Wild Photo Tours.
Evan Watts, who runs Watts Wildlife Photography tours in Yellowstone, said he’s seen several moose crossing highways recently there.
There are fewer moose in Yellowstone than there are in Grand Teton. So, frequent moose sightings in Yellowstone is an indicator that bulls there are also wandering because of the rut, he told Cowboy State Daily.
He added that he’s seen shoulder season traffic in Yellowstone explode recently.
“It’s been a noticeable shift. I wouldn’t say there’s been shift away from the peak season during the summer; that’s still busy. But there’s just more in the fall and spring too,” he said.
“September in Yellowstone this year was just as busy as August was,” he added.
Krank agreed that the increase in shoulder season traffic has amped up concerns over wildlife safety.
“Typically, the busier seasons have changed with more traffic in the spring and fall. That’s when we have more wildlife migrations, more animals on the move. More animals concentrated down in the valleys where the roads are,” he said.
‘Everybody’s Racing Through The Parks’
Moffett said that while traffic has increased, people’s patience has diminished.
“We have people passing on double yellow lines. People racing from point to point. People racing to get to Old Faithful,” she said.
“It’s bringing city mentality to the parks. People are just racing around. You see these Facebook posts, ‘Can I do Yellowstone in a day?’ And I think, no. No, you can’t. You have to plan to take your time and watch for wildlife,” she said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
