Elk have horns, and they’re not afraid to use them. They’re not domesticated, and they have no compunction about squaring off with tourists, especially if they happen to be in mating season and feeling hot to go (and yes, they know the Chappell Roan dance). That’s why Yellowstone National Park has issued a warning telling visitors to stay away from bull (male) elk, because they’re in rut right now.
Wild wildlife fact: did you know bull elks have harems? The cow (female) elk want to mate with the strongest bulls, a trait they determine by antler size, which the bulls display by swinging their heads to best advantage, and the deepness and loudness of their bugling (that sound they make, which can be heard for miles). We hesitate to mention this indelicate fact, but the bulls also urinate on the ground and then wallow around in the mud and rub up against trees to impress the ladies. It’s the nightclub of the Yellowstone ecosystem. Finally, the boys also spar, or might instead take out their aggression on trees and bushes, trashing the place. The cows fall for it, hard. So hard that they form a harem. Each eligible bachelor gets about a dozen cows to hang around him for the opportunity to be chosen for mating.
Rutting is exhausting for the bulls and they lose about 20 percent of their body weight by the end of the season, according to Ecotour Adventures. It can even make them so weak they might not last through the winter. That's an intense repercussion for passing time with your best dozen gals.
So, what does all this have to do with your visit to Yellowstone? Well, if you’re between a bull and the plants that he wants to thrash, you could get hurt. These sex-obsessed elk are unpredictable in their movements and way more aggressive. They run fast and they can attack, even if unprovoked. Yellowstone rangers say to always keep at least 25 yards away from them (the length of two full-sized buses) and to look around corners when moving around buildings or other blind spots. If an elk approaches you, back off even if you are responding to that urine wallow pheromone. His antlers are cool, but you must quash this feeling. Don’t get closer for a photo; use a zoom lens of 300mm or more. If an elk actually runs at you, get into your car or behind a tall, sturdy barrier of some sort. If nothing like that is around, run. And gooooood luck.