This is the terrifying moment a wounded elk charged at a hunter in a bid for survival as he opened fire.

Two men were hunting the injured wapiti when the animal attacked one of them in Sakha Republic, Russia.

Tense footage shows the deer launching a ferocious counterattack directly at the huntsman in front of it, chasing after him and using its antlers to strike him while powerfully stomping him with its hooves.

The hunter can be seen laying helplessly on the ground, while his friend stood still, seemingly frozen and terrified to open fire for fear it might turn on him instead.

Upon seeing this, their friend waiting inside the car stepped out to help and reportedly attempted to scare off the enraged elk.

The elk, also known as Cervus canadensis, is the second-largest species within the deer family and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia.

While the elk's antlers and velvet are used in traditional medicines in parts of Asia, it is mostly hunted as a game species.