A mating-season fight between two bull elk in Colorado went to a new level of brutality early Sunday when one bull pinned the other underwater.
Somehow the pinned bull, the smaller of the two, managed to resurface without drowning, and both elk clambered out of the shallows near the shore of Lake Evergreen in the mountains southwest of Denver.
The loser, though fortunate to still be breathing, looked utterly defeated, said wildlife photographer Shaun Wisely, who witnessed the battle.
Smaller Bull Takes Initiative
On Sunday morning, Wilsey was in Evergreen hoping to get some good elk shots for his photography business.
He told Cowboy State Daily he’d been watching a larger bull with his harem.
A smaller bull was taking risks and having some success, he said.
“The smaller of the two bulls was able to steal the cows from the bigger one earlier and went up on the golf course with them for a while and mated with a couple of them,” he said.
The larger bull decided to intervene.
“The bigger bull went up there to try to get them (the cows) back, and they sparred briefly, but the smaller one was able to chase him off,” Wilsey said.
Bugling Back and Forth
Defeated for the moment, the larger bull ambled down to the lake.
His chances for romance weren’t completely lost, though.
“He saw some cows on a small island. So, he went and guarded those,” Wisley said.
Each bull had cows around him and they were a few hundred yards apart, he said.
However, they weren’t ready to make peace. Apparently, their rivalry couldn’t end until there was a decisive winner.
“They kept bugling back and forth for about 30 minutes,” Wisley said.
The Fight Is On
The cows with the smaller bull made the move that led to the fight, Wilsey said.
“For whatever reason, the cows with the smaller bull decided to go back down to the lake by the bigger bull, and the smaller bull followed,” Wisley said.
That’s when the bigger bull’s tolerance snapped.
“Once the bigger bull saw the smaller one getting close, he started running at them, and the fight ensured,” he said.
The battle in the water was quick and violent. Wilsey scrambled to get whatever photos he could.
“They were fighting for probably 30 seconds, and the bigger one had the smaller one pinned underwater for about half of that,” he said.
‘Clearly Defeated’
As near as Wilsey can tell, the smaller bull was extremely lucky.
“I’m not sure if the smaller one was able to get away on his own or if the bigger one let him go, but they both came out of the water, and the smaller one was clearly feeling defeated,” he said.
Lesson learned: The smaller bull went his own way. The victorious bull gathered the cows on the island and continued to guard them, Wisley said.
Rut Makes Elk Go Bonkers
The elk rut is no joke for bulls. They’re pumped full of testosterone and ready to fight.
The biggest and most dominant bulls claim harems of cows, ready and willing to take on any challengers.
In some instances, bull elk will fight to the death. That’s rare, but injuries are frequent.
Earlier this month, a bull elk in Estes Park, Colorado, strutted around town with the broken-off tip of a rival’s antler stuck in his neck.
The antler piece fell out after a couple of days, and the bull seemed no worse for wear, wildlife photographer Kristy Williams told Cowboy State Daily.
Intent Was Unlikely
When bulls are in rut battles, it’s all about establishing dominance, retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Bruce Smith, formerly with the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, told Cowboy State Daily.
So, people shouldn’t read too much into the larger bull pinning the other one under the water, Smith said.
It was probably a matter of happenstance. The bigger bull was trying to prove his superior strength and nothing more.
The bull likely wasn’t consciously trying to drown his opponent, Smith said, so it was a matter of the fight’s location, not a deliberate attempt to kill a rival.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
