Large elk herd calls west Loveland home in winter
Estes Park is Colorado's elk viewing capital in fall. In winter, that crown is worn by Loveland.
About 1 million people flock to Rocky Mountain National Park in late summer and fall during the elk bugling season. It's a time when prime bull elk round up females into groups during the rut, or breeding season, and emit guttural, piercing screams as a sign of their dominance over other males.
The show spills over into Estes Park, where scores of tourists take in the show on the town's golf courses, high school grounds and other open spaces.
When the show is over in late November, many of those elk migrate from the park to lower elevation where they spend the winter.
About half of the 2,000 elk in the mountains around Rocky Mountain National Park stay in and around the park and Estes Valley in winter. The other roughly 1,000 take up winter residence on the west side of Loveland from Masonville on the north to Carter Lake on the south.
And just like in the national park or Estes Park, large numbers of elk draw curious watchers along the highways and back roads west of Loveland.
"About 95% of the herd doesn’t go any farther than Loveland,'' said Clayton Brossart, Colorado Parks and Wildlife district officer for the Loveland area. "Sometimes we'll get some of the bulls that go as far east as I-25 and that's when we need to push them back west.''
This time of year, small bull bachelor groups will bunch up away from the main herd, comprised mostly of cows and smaller bulls.
The large herds are a hit with most area residents. On Wednesday, Dec. 21, a herd of about 300 were on private land near the intersection of Larimer County Road 29 (Carter Lake Road) and Larimer County Road 20 (West First Street). Vehicles stopped along both roads to take in the show, which included several smaller bulls bugling and sparring.
Brossart said the elk eat hay and alfalfa on private land and tear down fences, for which the agency compensates landowners. The elk also are road hazards at times.
Visiting RockyChanges coming to Rocky Mountain National Park's timed entry reservation system for 2023
"We see a spike in crashes involving elk during the winter months in the U.S. Highway 34 and Glade Road intersection because people are driving pretty fast and the visibility isn't that great in that area,'' he said.
The herds move around but are often seen near the U.S. 34 and Glade Road area, around Mariana Butte Golf Course and in pastures along Glade Road, Carter Lake Road and Buckhorn Road (Larimer County Road 27).
Brossart said it's not so much that there are too many elk wintering west of Loveland, but they don't disperse well.
"We have a weird phenomenon that most places don't have,'' Brossart said. "Lots of places have too many elk, but here we are just a little under our goal as far as population. We have more of a distribution issue. Instead of having little pockets of dozens of elk, we have pockets of hundreds of elk.''
He said hunting is used to disperse the herd, but when elk move to lower elevations, they end up on private land or open spaces where hunting is not allowed. Once there, elk feel safe and congregate in those areas.
Brossart said the elk usually migrate back up toward the national park and Estes Valley in late April or early May before having their calves in early June.
Elk viewing tips
Only pull off the side of the road where you can completely pull off. Never stop on the road.
Respect private property, which makes up the bulk of land west of Loveland.
Stay in your vehicle for best viewing. This allows less disturbance to the elk, which is better for those viewing and the elk.
Limit the time you observe wildlife, as your presence adds stress to their lives. Winter can be a stressful time for wildlife.
Leave pets at home.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Hundreds of elk wintering west of Loveland make for prime viewing
