Meet ‘Smash,’ Colorado bull elk who declares war on anything with wheels

There is a bull elk in Estes Park, Colorado who has decided – firmly and with great conviction – that golf carts are his mortal enemy.

His name is Smash. He has earned it.

The roughly 700-pound bull has become an infamous fixture of this fall’s rut season in the mountain town that serves as the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, charging golf carts, maintenance vehicles and, as of this weekend, a full-size Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck that made the mistake of creeping past him on a rain-soaked road.

Video shows the agitated bull lowering his rack and connecting with the Silverado’s bedside panel as the truck rolled by during a rainstorm. The driver wisely hit the gas. The BMW behind the Silverado took the hint and executed a quick U-turn rather than test its luck.

“He has issues with things that have wheels,” one commenter wrote on a Facebook post showing Smash going after a course maintenance vehicle.

Wildlife watchers say Smash seems wilder than many of the bulls that roam freely through Estes Park each fall. One photographer who has followed the elk’s antics wrote that Smash “might be one of the only bulls we feel safer being on foot around rather than in our vehicle.”

That distinction has not been lost on tourists. In a Rocky Mountain National Park visitor group on Facebook, one post warned anyone renting a car for a fall trip: “This year Smash is targeting vehicles. You may want the insurance.”

September marks the heart of elk mating season, known as the rut, when bull elk bugle, spar with rivals and gather harems of cows. Rocky Mountain National Park says peak rut activity generally runs from mid-September through mid-October, though bugling can continue into November. During the rut, mature bulls become territorial and unpredictable, even by elk standards.

Estes Park has long been one of the best places in Colorado to witness the spectacle. Elk wander through neighborhoods, across golf courses and into parking lots each autumn. The town leans into it: Elk Fest, an annual celebration featuring bugling contests and wildlife exhibits, is scheduled for Oct. 3-4 this year in Bond Park.

But Smash appears to be operating on his own schedule.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife advises visitors to stay at least 75 feet from elk at all times and never approach a bull during the rut. The agency has confirmed 10 bear attacks on people in Colorado in 2026, a record, and wildlife officials say the drought-driven lack of natural food has made encounters with all large animals more frequent and more dangerous this year.

Smash, for his part, does not appear interested in public safety guidance. He remains at large in the Estes Park area, presumably eyeing his next opponent.

Golf carts are advised to proceed with caution.