Colorado — Two Elk Lock Antlers in Fight Caught on Video

Two elk locked antlers in a fight in Colorado, and wildlife photographers caught the encounter on video, according to OutKick. The outlet, a Fox News property, published the footage under the byline of writer David Hookstead on October 23, 2026.

What does the video show?

The clip shows two elk with their antlers interlocked, mid-fight, in Colorado. OutKick's report does not describe how the confrontation ended or how long it lasted.

How did the photographers end up filming it?

According to OutKick, the photographers were eating a moose steak dinner when they heard bugling elk calling from across a lake. They left the meal and moved toward the sound, which led them to the fight. The report does not name the photographers or say how many were present.

Where in Colorado did this happen?

OutKick's headline and report place the encounter in Colorado but do not specify a county, park, or town. No further location detail — such as elevation, nearby landmarks, or public land designation — appears in the source material.

What is "bugling," and what does "locking antlers" mean?

Two terms anchor the story:

• Bugling: the vocal call elk make that carries across distance, loud enough that the photographers in this account heard it from across a lake and recognized it as elk activity worth investigating.
• Locking antlers: when two elk engage antlers directly during a physical contest, as described in the video OutKick published.

OutKick's report does not go further into elk behavior science, mating season timing, or outcome of the specific fight, so this account sticks to what the photographers captured and described.

Is there video available to watch?

Yes. OutKick embedded the footage with its original story. The outlet frames it as part of a broader run of wildlife clips it has covered recently, including separate footage of a coyote catching a pear off a tree and a deputy freeing a moose tangled in wire — both referenced in OutKick's related coverage links but not detailed in this report.

What details are missing from the report?

OutKick's account is built around a short description and the video itself. It does not name the photographers, give exact coordinates or a specific lake, state how the fight resolved, or quote anyone on the record beyond the general framing that the group abandoned dinner to find the source of the bugling. Readers looking for a named source, a park service confirmation, or additional biologist commentary will not find it in the original story.

For now, the footage stands largely on its own: two elk, antlers locked, in a Colorado encounter that pulled a group of photographers away from their meal and toward the water.