In national parks, "bear jams" happen frequently during the summer months when millions of visitors descend upon the parks. If visitors see a bear while driving along, they stop abruptly, along with everyone behind them. Cameras click like mad, and some people even stupidly get out of their cars to try to photograph the bears more closely. Crowding a grizzly is never a good thing to do.

Neither is crowding an elk. People have been gored by elk for getting too close. Just as "bear jams" occur, so too do "elk jams" as I just witnessed. Hundreds of elk crossed an icy stream and then made their way across a back road in the park. Luckily, drivers were considerate, giving them plenty of space, and staying inside their cars.