A bull elk wandering around Estes Park, Colorado, got into the Halloween spirit, sporting a black witch decoration dangling from its antlers.<\/p>\n
A 16-second video of the elk, which has gone viral for a second time, shows the bull casually crossing a highway with the witch swinging from its right antler.<\/p>\n
The elk appears mildly annoyed by its unwanted passenger but otherwise continues on its way.<\/p>\n
Social media commenters have had a field day with the footage, shot in October 2025 but shared Monday by Colorado Wild Images.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just wants to get some candy too,\u201d one commenter joked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen his antlers shed, we will then know who it was,\u201d another wrote.<\/p>\n
And, of course, there were plenty of jokes about the elk’s chances of attracting a mate while wearing a witch on its head.<\/p>\n
But while the sight of a bull elk wearing Halloween decorations might be good for a laugh, wildlife officials say there’s a serious side to the spectacle.<\/p>\n
Every fall, elk, deer and moose risk getting their antlers tangled in everything from wire fencing and ropes to hammocks, Christmas lights and Halloween decorations.<\/p>\n
And with big-game animals in the throes of their fall mating seasons, the opportunities for trouble are plentiful.<\/p>\n
Looking For Love \u2013 And Trouble<\/p>\n
Ron Dean, a retired Wyoming Game and Fish supervisor who oversaw Wyoming’s 22 elk feedgrounds for about 30 years, said fall is a particularly troublesome time for bull elk.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because it\u2019s mating season, also known as the rut. Their antlers are fully grown, their hormones are raging, and they’re more inclined to challenge anything they perceive as competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the rut, they’ll bang into cars,\u201d Dean told Cowboy State Daily. \u201cThey’re just looking for a fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dean, who lives in Etna, said it’s not unusual for elk to get their antlers tangled in wire or fencing, although he can’t recall ever seeing one with a Halloween witch dangling from its head.<\/p>\n
The risk of entanglement can begin even before the rut, when bulls rub their antlers against trees and other objects to remove the velvet that nourished their growing antlers throughout the summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe season where it would most likely happen would be when they’re rubbing the velvet,\u201d Dean said.<\/p>\n
Once the rut begins, bulls use their antlers to spar with rivals and establish dominance. That activity can bring them into contact with fencing, ropes and other objects that aren’t nearly as easy to shake loose as an opposing bull.<\/p>\n
And while a Halloween witch might make for an entertaining video, some entanglements can become life-threatening if they interfere with an animal’s ability to eat, move or escape danger.<\/p>\n
Elk Are Part Of The Neighborhood<\/p>\n
Jeff Kehoe, who works at the Estes Park Visitors Center, said residents and visitors are accustomed to sharing streets, parks and neighborhoods with the animals.<\/p>\n
But during the rut, the bulls can become especially unpredictable.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the rut they’re absolutely crazy,\u201d Kehoe told Cowboy State Daily. \u201cThey get their antlers tangled in all kinds of stuff when they wander into town.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kehoe said a herd of about 200 elk winters in the area, making encounters between wildlife and human belongings a regular part of life.<\/p>\n
Residents try to be mindful about what they leave outdoors, particularly during the fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try hard not to put stuff that they’re going to get tangled in,\u201d Kehoe said.<\/p>\n
But the reality is that elk live there, too.<\/p>\n
That means the same yards and public spaces decorated for Halloween can become playgrounds \u2013 or potential hazards \u2013 for animals weighing hundreds of pounds and carrying enormous racks of antlers.<\/p>\n
From Witches To Swings<\/p>\n
Halloween decorations aren’t the only things that have gotten the attention of Colorado’s elk.<\/p>\n