How many elk can you count in this video of a massive herd on the run in Colorado?

If you think you’re great at counting, Colorado wildlife officials have a challenge for you.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife posted a stunning video Monday that shows a massive herd of elk sprinting through a wide open field near Salida, located about 140 miles southwest of Denver.

The video was captured during the state Parks and Wildlife’s southeast region annual big game survey.

“We conduct flights each year to assess the health of big game herds,” officials wrote on Twitter. “This is an elk herd.”

From high above the ground, biologists fly in a helicopter to find and report big game animals. In seconds, they must spot a herd, count the animal, and identify its sex and health.

The group counts elk, bighorn sheep, rams, ewes, deer, pronghorn and other large animals. Some groups are easy to spot and count, but others are more difficult.

Data gathered during the flights can help biologists see big game migration patterns and seasonal movements, according to wildlife officials.

They also use the data to see herd connectivity.

“It’s impossible to count all deer, elk, moose, pronghorn etc in CO. So Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists fly to get random samples,” wildlife officials wrote. “They ID herds by sex and age and use data to generate male-to-female ratios, estimate populations and compare to CPW targets.”

This story was originally published December 30, 2020 at 4:25 PM with the headline "How many elk can you count in this video of a massive herd on the run in Colorado?."