Happy Wednesday, Scouts. Welcome to Edition VI of Scout & Tell.

I don’t want to jinx it, but the weather report shows not a single day higher than 90 this week. Are we, dare I say, heading into fall? By the looks of this week’s newsletter, there isn’t a doubt.

College football started last week and the NFL kicks off this week. That means we’ve got pigskin on the tube every week until mid-February. For our outdoor folks, the leaves are changing and now is the perfect time to head up the canyon, hence our week’s main article.

We will see you out there,

This month, somewhere in a Moraine Park meadow, a 700-pound animal is about to make the strangest noise you'll hear all year. 

It starts low, like a creaky door. Then it climbs into a shriek which sounds like a rusty trumpet being strangled. Briefly, it drops into a series of grunts that can only be described as a very large, very horny burp.

That's a bull elk bugling. 

And if you haven't heard one in person, here's a compilation clip to get you acquainted before you head up the canyon to Estes Park. Play it around your kids. Play it at a dinner party. It never stops being funny. And that's before you learn what the bull is actually doing while he makes it.

Welcome to the elk rut, Estes Park's answer to mating season, and one of the strangest, loudest, most reliably entertaining things happening in Northern Colorado this month. 

The rut is elk mating season, usually starting now and ending mid-October. Bull elk spend the rest of the year in small groups or on their own, not bothering anybody. Then testosterone kicks in and they turn into something closer to reality-TV contestants: preening, posturing, screaming at each other, and doing everything short of throwing a chair to win over a harem of cows.

Rocky Mountain National Park manages somewhere between 600 to 800 elk in the low elevation valleys each winter, and a good chunk of that herd funnels down out of the high country into the meadows around Estes Park every fall. 

Moraine Park and Horseshoe Park are the marquee venues. So is the golf course near Lake Estes, where it's not unusual to find a harem of 30 cows and a bull sprawled across the fairway like they own the place. Which, for a few weeks, they kind of do.

The bugle itself is a mating call, a warning to rival bulls and occasionally a way of telling a cow she's wandering too far from the group. 

Researchers from the University of Northern Colorado say the calls carry more information than you might guess. Like other animals, different pitches and grunt patterns seem to convey different meanings, though nobody's fully cracked the code yet. 

Here's where it gets weird. 

Somewhere in the mix of showing off, a bull will roll around in a wallow of his own mud and urine to make himself smell more intimidating to rivals, while more appealing to cows. He'll also rake tree branches and shrubs with his antlers, draping himself in vegetation. And, of course, he bugles.

He's going through something for sure.

The stakes underneath the theater are real, though. 

Bull elk can weigh close to 1,000 pounds and grow antlers that tip the scales up to 40 lbs. They're so consumed by the rut that many eat very little and get almost no rest for weeks, running themselves down while they defend a harem around the clock. 

Fights do happen. Bulls will lock antlers and shove each other around until one gives up, but most confrontations get settled without contact. A bull sizes up a rival's build, catches a whiff of his musky, urine-soaked coat, and decides whether tonight's the night to test him. 

Often, it isn't.

Here's the really important part: None of this is a petting zoo. 

Elk are wild animals having the most hormonal month of their year, and from September 1 through October 31, RMNP restricts off-trail and off-road foot travel in key rutting meadows between 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. specifically to keep people away from herds during the hours they're most active. 

Have you ever been to Yellowstone? Remember how they say to NOT pet the fluffy cows? Same goes here. 

The official rule of thumb, straight from park guides: stick your arm out, thumb up. If your thumb doesn't cover the entire elk, you're too close. That's roughly 75 feet, or about two school buses.

Beyond that, a few ways to catch the show:

Whatever you do, don't feed them, don't approach them and don't be the person who gets between a bull and his harem to get a better angle for the 'Gram. 

The elk didn't ask for an audience. They're just trying to get through their weirdest month of the year, same as the rest of us. 

They just do it a little louder. 

This week's pick swaps dream home for dream investment. 516 S Meldrum St, Fort Collins, CO 80521 sits two blocks from CSU and three blocks from Old Town, this six-unit building (five one-beds plus a studio) sits in one of the most walkable, rental-hungry pockets in town. Built in 1901 and still going strong, it's got alley parking, on-site laundry, and the kind of location that basically does the marketing for you.

TLDR: 6 units (5 one-bed + 1 studio), 4,536 sqft, built 1901, $1,275,000. Contact: Emily Mack, Helix Properties LLC, (909) 238-2299

Meet Nova! This 72-pound girl describes herself as very nervous, but she warms up fast if treats are involved and she is a committed fan of walks and ice cubes. She needs a home without young kids, and while she has lived with cats before, other dogs make her uneasy.

Nova is available for adoption at the Weld Campus in Evans, with a $125 adoption fee. Find out more about this good girl at the NoCo Humane website.

FoCo French ditches the flashcards for straight-up papotage, French for chit-chat, over wine and coffee at The Neighbor. Founder Richie, a Texan who stumbled into fluency at Nantes bars instead of a classroom, and that scrappy energy runs the whole show. No conjugation drills, no worksheets, just real conversation, curated French wines, and whatever confidence you walk in with. 

First Wednesday of every month, 6-8 p.m. at 144 S Mason St, Fort Collins, CO 80524. Zero pressure, all levels welcome (yes, even kids). No ticket, no sign-up, no excuses, just show up and start talking.

🎻 Residency Concert w/ String Creek Band @ Wolverine Farm - 6-8pm - Fort Collins folksgrass duo, suggested donation $15-20. Details here

🎨 Hat Burning Workshop @ The Artisan Shop & Studio - 6:30-8:30pm - $45 leather pyrography class with a sunflower design. Details here

Thursday

🎶 Bohemian Nights Thursday Night Live (season finale) @ Old Town Square - 7pm - Free outdoor concert closing out the summer series with Chris Daniels & The Kings. Details here

🍺 Odell Oktoberfest @ Odell Brewing - Thu-Sun - Limited-edition steins and German-style beers to celebrate the season. Details here

🎸 Magic Rat Live Music @ The Elizabeth Hotel - Thu-Sat, 8-10pm - Free nightly live music: A-Mac Thursday, Crescent City Connection Friday, Choice City Seven Saturday. Details here

🎤 DirtySnatcha w/ past.noon, Karnage, Y2KIRA, Tyma @ Aggie Theatre - Doors 7pm/show 8pm - Hip-hop and electronic bill, all ages. Details here

🚲 Bikes & Yoga @ The Lyric - Ride 5-5:45pm, yoga 6-7pm - Monthly ride-then-stretch meetup with FOCO Bike Mob and CorePower Yoga. Details here

🎤 Samantha Erin & Christopher Morse @ The Atrium - 7:30pm - $12 adv/$15 door acoustic double bill. Details here

🔥 Campfire Sessions ft. Brandon Lowry @ Riverside Colorado (Mishawaka Amphitheatre) - 7pm - Poudre Canyon fireside show in Bellvue. Details here

🔔 Thursday's Weekly Gong Journey @ Rocky Mountain Restore & Stretch - Mind-body reset session. Details here

Friday

🎭 Firebringer @ Lincoln Center - Fri-Sat - Indigo Theatre Company's stone-age comedic musical. Details here

🎧 Marco Strous: No Games Tour @ Aggie Theatre - 8pm - Electronic tour stop with INVERSION and Lucky Cigs. Details here

🌍 Half a Century of El Centro: Past, Present, y Poder @ CSU Lory Student Center Grand Ballrooms - 6-8:30pm - Kickoff of El Centro's 50th anniversary weekend. Details here

🌙 September Noco Moon Market @ Fort Collins City Park - 5-9pm - Evening wellness and handmade-goods market returns for its monthly run.

🎸 Rachel is Kozi w/ Addison Cole, Limited Supply & The Fights Next Door @ The Atrium - 7:30pm - $12 - Magical indie rock night, 21+. Details here

🎨 Trifecta!!! Artist Reception @ Art & Heritage Center, Windsor - 5-8pm - Visual art award winners announced, live music from Orobeat. Details here

🎸 Totally Tom Petty @ Rialto Theater, Loveland - 7:30pm - Tribute night inside Loveland's historic 1920s theater. Details here

🪵 Marquetry: Evolution of Art in Wood @ Loveland Museum - 11am-7pm - Wood-inlay exhibit running through Sept 26. Details here

🏁 Griot's Garage Colorado Nationals @ The Ranch Events Complex, Loveland - Fri-Sun - Goodguys' 28th annual show with 1,000+ hot rods. Details here

🛍️ Friday Night on the Town Market - Downtown Loveland, 6-9pm - Vintage vendors and late shopping in the pocket park.

🎃 Monster Mash Weekend @ Jellystone Park, Estes Park - Fri-Sun - Costume contest, haunted hike and site-decorating contest. Details here

🧘 Yoga Pod 200-Hour Vinyasa Teacher Training kicks off - Runs Fri/Sat/Sun through January. Details here

Saturday

🎸 The Gringos @ Aggie Theatre - 8pm - Indie rock with The John Wood Band and Burnout. Details here

🏈 CSU Football vs. Southern Utah @ Canvas Stadium - 5pm - Rams open the home slate against the Thunderbirds. Details here

🐾 Adoption Event @ Pet Supplies Plus, Front Range Village - 10am-noon - Bounce Animal Rescue brings adoptable pets to Council Tree. Details here

🚶 Walk for Apraxia - Northern Colorado @ Fossil Creek Park Oval Pavilion - Check-in 10am - Annual fundraiser walk for kids with childhood apraxia of speech. Details here

🌳 September Bonsai Club @ Fossil Creek Nursery - 3:30-4:30pm - Free monthly meetup for bonsai lovers of all experience levels. Details here

🛍️ The Collective Market @ Oak Street Plaza - 10am-3pm - Vintage, art and music takeover of downtown's Oak Street Plaza, run by Collective Vintage and Dandelions & Rust.

🎶 T&C Mining Co., Sturtz Duo, Redd & The Paper Flowers @ The Atrium - Doors 7:30pm - $12 adv/$15 door triple bill. Details here

🌸 Wildcraft Markets 2nd Saturday Market - 10am-2pm - Local vendors and artisans, second-to-last stop before October's finale. Details here

🍻 4th Annual NoCo Brew Fest @ Severance Community Park - 3-8pm - Unlimited 2oz tasters from area breweries, food trucks, and live music, 21+. Details here

🏍️ 39th Annual Nut Run @ Bruce's Bar, Severance - Severance's legendary Rocky Mountain oyster bash draws bikers from across the region. Details here

🥕 Severance Farmer's Market @ Blue Spruce Park - 9am-1pm - Weekly market runs through Oct 10.

🎉 2026 Mead Community Day @ Mead Town Park - 4-9:30pm - Town's biggest annual bash, headlined by country artist Colby Acuff at 8pm. Details here

🎶 COVENHOVEN Live at Mountain Roots @ Mountain Roots Gardens, Milliken - Doors 6pm/show 7pm - Rescheduled show at the Milliken garden venue. Details here

🐶 Pooches in the Park - Doggie Dip @ Chimney Park Pool, Windsor - 10am-2pm - Dogs get the pool for a splashy end-of-summer social. Details here

🚗 Steve and the Cruisers at the Good Guys Car Show @ The Ranch Events Complex, Loveland - 11am-2pm - Live music alongside the Griot's Garage Colorado Nationals. Details here

🎨 16th Annual Pastels on 5th Street - Downtown Loveland, 10am-5pm - Sidewalk chalk art festival benefiting Alternatives to Violence. Details here

🥕 The Berthoud Market @ Fickel Park - 8am-noon - Weekly community market with music, food, and local vendors. Details here

🎨 Art in the Park @ Berthoud Town Park - 9am-1pm - Free hands-on art activities alongside the farmers market. Details here

Sunday

🥊 The Expendables w/ Chad Tepper, Matt & Zach @ Aggie Theatre - Doors 6:30pm/show 7:30pm - 105.5 The Colorado Sound presents the reggae rock outfit. Details here

🎻 Synesthesia Chamber Music w/ poet George N. Wallace @ Church of Beethoven - 3pm - $15 - Clarinet, flute and cello trio paired with spoken word. Details here

🎸 Highgrade, Backblunt, A Day to Burn @ The Atrium - 7pm - 21+ show under Alley Cat. Details here

🥕 Fort Collins Farmers Market @ Harmony & Lemay - 10am-2pm - Weekly market runs through Nov 8 in the Ace Hardware lot. Details here

🌿 Know Your Natural Areas Series @ Gateway Lakes Natural Area, Greeley - 9am-noon - Free guided exploration of Greeley's natural areas. Details here

🥕 Loveland Farmers Market @ Fairgrounds Park - 9am-1pm - Local produce and artisan vendors, SNAP accepted. Details here

🍯 Loveland Honey Festival @ Fairgrounds Park - 9am-1pm - Mead tastings, observation beehive and a Honeybee Hustle run. Details here

🥕 Timnath Farmers Market @ Historic Colorado Feed & Grain - 10am-2pm - This week's 2nd/4th Sunday market. Details here

🔔 Sunday Morning of Sound Gong Journey @ Rocky Mountain Restore & Stretch - 10-11:30am - Sound bath at the Horsetooth-area studio. Details here