HIS MAJESTY

This particular elk and I came face to face one beautiful full moon, blue indigo, January evening. I was turning out of my driveway onto Spruce Road. He greeted me with head down, hoof pawing the icy road, and smoke streaming from his nostrils. I stopped my snowmobile and stayed still and quiet for 10 minutes. This is a long time on a small snowmobile. I had never been 5’ from a wild challenging animal! A sense of wonder and connection swept over me. I questioned, what was he so gallantly protecting? The sound of his snorting and pawing echoed in the still silent night, brilliant stars twinkling in the sky. He looking at me out of the corner of his eye, I knew he was evaluating me as well as I him. Raising his majestic head high, he let out a loud bellow. Out of the forest came his harem of nine doe. He looked me straight in my eye, tipping his head back, and swiftly disappeared like a whisper in the night. It was my birthday, January 19th, 2,000. Filled with a peaceful sense of joy, I thanked him and sent him off with a thankful prayer and God’s Grace. I see him yearly. We no longer need a challenge. He sees me as part of the forest and I address him as “HIS MAJESTY". I value this experience as the most special birthday gift I ever received! Waking up to the musical bugling of these majestic kings of the mountain is a treasured and endearing experience. Smiling inside out, I feel blessed to be seen as an equal and part of the forest, in their homeland. “HIS MAJESTY" drifts by 1771 Spruce Road with his family on occasion.
The elk moved across the Bering Sea 120,000 years ago. They migrated to Colorado 10,000 years ago, and southern Colorado-Arrowhead 5,000 years ago. Prior to European migration, around 1492, the elk population exceeded 10 million. Today 280,000 elk reside in Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Elk Conservation Department was established in the 1900s. At that time only 40,000 elk survived in all of North America. Unrestricted hunting caused this dramatic loss of the elk population. This majestic species has been brought back to a thriving population by the dedication and partnership of CPW Department in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Conservation Department. Thank you!