A stunning bull moose
King of the Gros Ventre
Elvis was always easy to identify in a group. His large antlers and deadly tines point upwards from his beams. Besides the antlers, also had a large bell and long dewlap. I watched Elvis grow and mature over a period of several years during Gaston’s reign along the Gros Ventre. One day, found Gaston well away from the cows and Elvis moving at will between them. Afterwards, I noticed a large gash in Gaston’s side. Elvis had entered the building!
Click Here to return to Best of the TetonsIn 2010 and into 2011, numerous moose in GTNP had become infected with conjunctivitis, or pink eye. A few were put down by the Park Service when they could no longer see. Unfortunately, Elvis caught it in 2010. It appeared he was okay in the summer of 2011. Sadly the infection returned with a vengeance that fall. One eye was swollen shut and the other was beginning to close. This was extremely difficult to witness! One afternoon, I watched Elvis cross the Gros Ventre to check on a moaning cow in the cottonwoods on the other side. A few minutes later, Gaston followed. Within a couple of days, Wyoming Game and Fish agents were called to do a necropsy on a moose. Elvis had left the building. I always figured Gaston dealt the fatal blow to the incapacitated Elvis.
