Posted on 02/01/2008 2:06:43 PM PST by GSWarrior
The Colorado Division of Wildlife may be forced to kill an elk that surprised De Beque-area outfitter David Furr when it ran inside his dining room Thursday.
“If it continues to show no fear of humans, we’re going to be forced to put it down,” DOW spokesman Randy Hampton said.
An elk that had been reclining next to a fireplace on Furr’s porch sprinted for his dining room through an open door while he was bringing in firewood Thursday morning.
The animal had been hanging out around the house for about a week, Furr said, and he became concerned about its health.
While he was picking up the firewood, “it ran up into the dining room and busted (its) butt and couldn’t get up,” Furr said. “It fell down on the hardwood floor. It couldn’t stand up on that slick surface.”
Once the elk had fallen, Furr said he left the door open and put a blanket over the elk. The animal stayed on the floor for about 30 minutes before it ran back outside and huddled again by the fireplace.
Not a single piece of china was disturbed, and no furniture was touched when the elk ran inside and fell to the floor.
“Me being in the hunting business all my life, I never had an elk on my porch,” he said.
Furr said he first noticed the elk hanging around his yard about a week ago. It was leaving behind feces on his sidewalk.
“She’s obviously been coming here every night,” he said.
After the elk ran into the house Thursday, Furr called the DOW, but officers did not visit his house to investigate.
Hampton said officers did not respond to the call because they had no concerns about the elk as long as no one fed it.
“It will leave again,” he said. “It will go find food. The snow in De Beque is not at a depth where it cannot find natural forage.”
But if the elk doesn’t leave and becomes aggressive, the DOW will be forced to kill the elk, Hampton said.
Many people around Bass Lake have fed elk before, giving the elk little reason to look for natural food and encouraging them to approach humans, he said.
“The best thing this guy can do is chase it off,” Hampton said.
Furr said the elk needs help because she’s getting weaker as time goes on.
“We want to help her if we can,” he said, adding that killing the elk isn’t necessary.
“They need to be told they need a court order before they come on private property and get an elk,” Furr said. “They make plenty of money. All the elk needs is a shot of penicillin and food and water.”
Hampton said elk can be dangerous if they get too close to humans.
“These are big animals, they’re wild animals, and people need to leave them alone,” Hampton said.
I remember the Elk (bulls and cows) when I lived in Washington State. Hit one of those with your Camry and you’re dead.
Elk! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.
Counting down to pics of Hillary/Helen Thomas (get out of the thread now!!)
3...2...1...
An elk bit my sister.
Makes perfect sense to me.
This thread is worthless without pictures!
At least it wasn’t a moose...
Has global warming stressed her out? :0)
We have this problem all the time out in the “Grove.”
Cannot dertimine guilt or innocence without them!
“Who ordered delivery?”
My uncle kept an elk cow as a pet for several years. She slept in the master bedroom with him and my aunt and played with all 3 of my cousins. She ran off and was hit by a truck. They found her body and ended up having her mounted and she is hung on the wall of their bedroom to this day.
elk warning!
De Beque was five below zero Thursday morning. The elk was probably cold, and liked the fire in the living room better than the great outdoors. The blanket only added to the ambience.
The elk or your aunt? ;)
Lol the elk.
Pix #3: Now that’s one haaaaapy elk!
So was it elk fer supper?
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