An intense battle between two large bull elk during the rutting season. The main herd bull protecting his harem fought with every ounce of energy and muscle. This shot here shows the moment when the herd bull's antler shattered and a large piece can be seen flying. After losing almost all of one side of his antlers, he continued to defend his right to mate and ultimately lost his other side of his antlers. Even after losing both sides of his antlers, he continued as if nothing happened. The bull ended up losing the fight, losing both sides of his antlers, receiving multiple puncture wounds from the other bulls antlers, a limp and a swollen/injured eye. During the mating season, these bull's will leave everything on the line to protect their harem.