Royal 12 Point Bull Elk

Come October each year in Evergreen you can hear the bugling of the bull elk throughout town and that is the signal for rutting season. My wife, kids and I were taking a walk around Evergreen Lake when a herd of 25+ elk playing in the water caught our attention.   They entire herd eventually migrated our direction, over by the lake house where we got a first row ticket to the show.  This 12 point bull elk, referred to as a Royal, put on a spectacular show.  Bull elk of this size and points are typically 9.5 to 12.5 years in age and are commonly seen in Evergreen during the Fall.  What an amazing animal, to say the least.  There were plenty of cow elk and their babies grazing on the grass.

It’s fun to see the mama’s with all of their baby elk grazing in the grass. You can see the white spots on this one in the picture so it was birthed not long before this photo was taken.

This bull elk was approximately 30 feet from me. Fortunately I was up on the bridge deck with railing so there was something separating him from me. The bull elk would graze on the grass, chase after the female elk to move them in the direction he wanted the heard to go and occasionally bugle. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.

If you are visiting Evergreen Colorado, September and October are the best months to see the herds of elk and to experience the large bull elk with their huge racks on full display.  Visiting the lake early in the morning (6:30am – 7:30am) or late afternoon (4pm – 6pm) for your best chance at seeing a herd of elk.  The Evergreen Golf course over by Blue Spruce Road can also be a great place to see the Elk.  If you are ever in the presence of elk, especially bull elk during rutting season it is important to keep your distance and respect their space. As for the female elk and their babies be sure to never position yourself between a mama and her baby.