Estes Park Celebrates Elk

Elk Fest in Estes Park, Colorado salutes these awesome animals October 3&4, 2009. Educational exhibits and seminars help further our understanding of the mammals and their habitat, and teach us how to observe them in the wild. Modestly priced elk viewing tours is a stress-free way to observe without driving hassles. The guided tours leave from Bond Park in downtown Estes Park each afternoon of the festival.

A Mountain Man Rendezvous and Native American storytelling and live music enhance the weekend experience. Vendors offer an array of elk-ivory jewelry, wildlife art, scrimshawed antler knives, antler furniture and antler chandeliers. Food options include elk cuisine.

Anyone with the ability to imitate the haunting call of elk rut may enter the Bugling Contest on Sunday afternoon. Amateurs or professionals, adults, youth and junior youth (6 years old and younger) using vocal chords, horn or diaphragm are welcome to demonstrate their skill and compete to see who sounds most like a bugling elk.

I’ll need a great deal of practice on my bellow, whistle, and grunts to join in the annual bugling rite.