A large male elk has laid claim to a lakeside campground in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park, and has been harassing and intimidating park visitors.
That’s the thrust of a new story by Noah McLane of The Jackson Hole News and Guide. According to his story, the bull elk has stepped on people’s feet, poked his antlers into a tent, and then upped the aggressive behavior—it pooped right next to the group’s tent.
Jennifer Jones, a backpacker who recently encountered the bull elk while camping at Grand Teton’s Bearpaw Lake along with three friends, told the newspaper that although multiple rangers warned their group about the animal while hiking into the campsite, they weren’t prepared for what awaited them.
Shortly after they arrived at their campsite, Jones and her friends were approached by a lone female hiker, who told them that the infamous bull elk was in her campsite. “Do you mind if I sit here with you guys while I wait for it to pass?” the woman asked.
The group tried to offer the woman safe harbor, but were soon confronted by the elk themselves, staring at them from the bushes. “I held eye contact with it for at least a couple of seconds,” Jones recalled, “before reading the sign and realizing that you’re not supposed to make eye contact.”
The animal—which was around six feet tall, and had a rack of antlers with at least ten points—began stalking them back and forth from the bear box to their campsite, preventing them from stashing their food. “The most surreal part was seeing him walk down a path and walk directly toward us, looking at us in the eye, walking towards a campfire,” Jones said.
Even with Jones and her friends taking cover inside their tents, the elk remained lurking outside. During the night, it stepped on one of the campers’ feet through the tent, poked its antlers through the tent itself, and left a large pile of stinking feces outside.
Elk are known to become aggressive around humans, specifically during the mating season, or “rut,” in the fall, or during the calving season in the spring and early summer. In 2024, elk attacked tourists in three separate incidents in Estes Park, Colorado, near the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. In all three incidents, elk calves were present.
Also in 2024, a tourist in Yellowstone National Park was charged and knocked down by a massive bull elk near Mammoth Hot Springs. The incident prompted the park to issue a warning to tourists: during mating season, bull elk are not to be messed with.
In the case of the Grand Teton elk, rangers told the The Jackson Hole News and Guide that the animal had likely become “habituated,” meaning it has lost its natural fear of humans after too much contact with park visitors.
In many cases, wild animals which have become habituated to human behavior are ultimately euthanized, but a public information officer at Grand Teton National Park, Emily Davis, told the newspaper that for now, the park is responding to the elk’s unpredictable behavior simply by monitoring it and suggesting park visitors keep their distance.
In addition to food, trash, and other odors, such as deodorant, perfume, and scented toothpaste, Davis said campers should also secure their sweaty clothes in bear boxes, as these can also attract elk. “If you’ve encountered this animal, we encourage you to report it,” Davis added. “Include the date, time, the specific location, and photos and videos are especially helpful.”
Including their antlers, bull elk can stand eight to nine feet tall. Most weigh between 700 and 800 pounds, but larger bulls can weigh upwards of 1,000 pounds. Elk aren’t as likely to attack humans as moose or bears, but female elk can behave aggressively during the spring and fall.
Roughly a million elk are found throughout the western United States and Canada, including at popular national parks like Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, and Olympic. If you see an elk, rangers recommend maintaining a distance of at least 75 feet, roughly two school bus lengths.
