Even amid the never-ending elk circus in Estes Park, Colorado, a bull called Smash stands out because of his reputation for ramming vehicles and chasing golf carts.
Also sometimes called “Crash,” the big bull recently humbled Miles Blumhardt. He’s a reporter for the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper who has been visiting Estes Park and writing features about the elk for years.
When Blumhardt pulled his vehicle a little too close and lingered a little too long Sept. 18, Smash lowered his head and charged without warning, slamming into the passenger side.
“I'm about to take off my pants," Blumhardt told Cowboy State Daily.
He wasn’t hurt, and his car suffered only a few scratches from the bull’s antler points.
Later, he published a story that included a description of his harrowing encounter with Smash.
This is the time of year for the elk rut, or mating season. Bulls can become aggressive as they guard harems of females.
Smash also was living up to his nickname earlier this week when he was caught on video trying to battle with a small, white Honda sedan.
The fight was over quickly, after Smash smashed out the back passenger window of the car and loped back to his harem.
Smash Is Safe to Keep Smashing
Another recent video of Smash depicts a driver who wasn’t quite as lucky. The bull, true to his name, smashed out one of that vehicle’s windows.
There have also been several videos posted of Smash angrily chasing golf carts for straying too close to his harem of cow elk on the local golf course.
Despite all his shenanigans and the body shop bills he’s doubtlessly racked up, Smash is safe from any consequences.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has no plans to remove him, Kara Van Hoose, CPW's northeast region spokeswoman, told Cowboy State Daily.
“That’s typical elk behavior during the rut. We wouldn’t remove (an elk) for that,” she stated in a text message.
‘It Was My Fault’
Blumhardt had high hopes of getting great elk photos and video.
Estes Park is adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park, and a massive elk herd hangs out in town each spring and fall as elk migrate in and out of the park.
This fall, there seem to be even more elk in Estes Park, including loads of huge bulls, he said.
Early that morning, he was cruising Fish Creek Road, where several dominant bulls are known to hang out, bugling and overseeing their harems.
It wasn’t long before he found Smash hanging out at a residence.
“He was about 20 yards away, maybe a little more, in this guy’s yard, and I’m sitting there, taking some photos and video (through the open passenger side window),” he said.
Blumhardt kept his vehicle’s engine running, just in case.
Smash approached to within just a few yards and started giving Blumhardt the eye.
“He came closer, and I thought, 'Oh, maybe he’s not going to charge.' But in a flash, he did,” Blumhardt said.
He said he was so caught up in getting images of the famous bull he fudged the rule he knows well — to stay back away from elk.
“It was my fault,” he said.
Why Vehicles?
Bull elk are “perpetually angry” during the rut, John Winnie Jr., an associate teaching professor in the Department of Ecology at Montana State University, told Cowboy State Daily.
As to why a particular bull might develop a propensity for charging vehicles, he said he’s not sure.
“Individual bulls just have different temperaments and might be annoyed by different things,” he said.
It could be that elk in other places are more accustomed to seeing people on foot, whereas motor traffic might be a more common irritating presence in Estes Park, Winnie added.
Elk in other places have developed reputations for charging vehicles, he noted.
In Yellowstone National Park, Elk 24 — aka the “King of Mammoth” — has a fondness for picking fights with tourists’ vehicles.
And a taste for charging cars isn’t limited to elk.
A Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep ram called Bam-Bam lived in Sinks Canyon near Lander and had a reputation for slamming into vehicles to show off how tough he was.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
