Photo Captures Showdown Between Elk & Elk Statue

ESTES PARK, Colo. (CBS4) - In 2002, an elk in Estes Park decided to engage in a battle with what he apparently thought was a bitter rival, and the showdown was captured in a photo.

Gary Hazelton of Estes Park News shared a photo with CBS4 Friday morning that dates back to 2002 of a bull elk butting heads with an elk statue in his mountain town. The statue is titled Samson, and it was modeled after the town's legendary elk by sculptor Carol Cunningham.

"After spying Samson, this elk pawed the ground and charged, the elk thrust his antlers into the bronze statue and a resounding 'clang' was heard echoing throughout the mountains," Hazelton wrote.

According to Cunningham's website, the Samson statue is about 25 percent larger than an actual elk.

Elk Fest takes place this weekend in Estes Park, and it will include a discussion by Colorado Parks and Wildlife district manager Rick Spowart about Samson's untimely death at the hands of a poacher.