If you have information that could help investigators, please contact us. This link will provide other ways to report what you know. If you wish to remain anonymous please visit NPS Anonymous Tip Information. Park rangers urge anyone with information on this illegal incident to call Rocky Mountain National Park’s tip line at 97 or email e-mail us. One antler was still on the skull and it is believed his other antler had been shed before his death. Park rangers at Rocky Mountain National Park are investigating the illegal removal of Kahuna’s skull and antler from his carcass, likely sometime between March 20 and March 22. It is believed that Kahuna died of natural causes, as there were reports he was injured during last year’s mating season and was very underweight in February. Numerous images were also shared of Kahuna’s carcass. He was a majestic elk with distinct large antlers and was widely photographed during his lifetime. Recently, park visitors and area photographers highlighted on social media the passing of a popular large bull elk in Rocky Mountain National Park, referred to as Kahuna, Bruno or Big Thirds. Jones record this behavior.Bull elk in Rocky Mountain National Park known as Kahuna, in the fall of 2021.Īll image credits and rights belong to Dawn Wilson Photography.Ĭontact: Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs OfficerĬontact: Park Information Office, (970) 586-1206 Every September and October, it’s possible to walk a ridgeline and see (or hear) this amazing clash of titans play out. Nowhere is this more true than when it comes to bull elk defending their territory and cows from intruding suitors. You mess with the bull, you get the horns. Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Don Jones Keep clicking through this gallery to see more photos of bull elk in action. With so much on the line, you can be sure another stir-crazy bull is waiting in the shadows for his chance at the title belt. How long he’ll remain the boss man is anyone’s guess. A bull elk that towers triumphantly over his opponent typically has the privilege of walking away with whatever lovely ladies are standing on the sidelines. It’s a competition for the right to breed. Don Jones To the victor belong the spoils. Some veterans even lock racks and starve to death or become so exhausted from battles, they never recover. Bulls lose an incredible amount of energy during a fight and sometimes suffer puncture wounds and other injuries from an opponent’s antlers. It’s a display of strength and dominance, but not without a cost. Don Jones Like whitetail deer, bulls charge and lock horns with one another in an attempt to push and shove an opponent into retreat. However, get two equally aggressive bulls of similar size and mass in opposite corners, and it’s on like Donkey Kong. Younger, smaller bulls typically retreat if they’re outmatched. Transalation: “You want to holla at one of my girlfriends? Well, you have to come through me first.” Don Jones Responding bulls, or those that simply want to steal some lovin’ from their next-door neighbor, meet the challenge by displaying their antlers and body size to one another–a lot like two boxers sizing up the competition before the bell. To his brethren, it’s a warning that he’s the king of the castle and it’s wise to stay away. To cows it means a mud-covered Valentino is ready to party. Bugling and rubbing antlers on the trees, shrubs, and the ground mean two things. Don Jones This annual ritual involves gathering cows to breed, and with so much pent up love to share, a bull wants as many cows as he can get his hands on. By September and early October, testosterone levels are at their peak, just in time for the fall rut activity. But as the summer draws to a close and a bull’s antlers harden, testosterone reroutes itself back into his system. For the most part bulls are not aggressive during this period – all that “anger juice” is going toward building their headgear. In the late spring and summer, bull elk use large amounts of testosterone to produce their antlers.
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