Wildlife Officials Are Searching for a Bull Elk That Has Had a Tire Stuck Around Its Neck for Over a Year

   09.29.20

Wildlife Officials Are Searching for a Bull Elk That Has Had a Tire Stuck Around Its Neck for Over a Year

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are on the lookout for a bull elk that has had a tire stuck around its neck for more than a year.

If this story sounds familiar, you may have read the previous OutdoorHub article about the same bull that was captured on trail camera wandering around the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest. Rangers working with the park say the bull has been captured on trail camera seven times in the last 12 months, and are concerned the elk may not survive if they can’t remove the tire from its neck soon. And judging by the way his antlers have developed this year, it looks like he’ll likely be sporting that tire until he has another chance to shake it off when he sheds his antlers.

Let’s hope somebody can catch up with him before that!

“As he continues to grow, he is not going to have the room that he has now to eat freely, to breathe and drink,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Jason Clay said.

Unfortunately, those of us who spend a lot of time hunting, fishing or backpacking on public lands know all too well about this major problem we’re facing. People continue to leave their trash behind when they use these spaces, and it happens all over.

“We see it too often, whether it’s, you know, a hammock caught up in it, Christmas lighting, roping, tire around its neck. Unfortunately, it happens quite a bit here in Colorado,” Clay said.

The bull elk has been spotted around the town of Conifer, and CPW urges residents in the area to call right away if they happen to locate the animal. They do ask, however, that nobody try to attempt to remove the tire themselves. Although the animal may not appear to be distressed, there’s always a possibility it could react in a violent way given its situation.

Twitter Reacts

The recently surfaced video has caused many on Twitter to respond to the CPW’s post, and of course, the internet remains undefeated. Don’t ever change y’all. Don’t ever change.

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Keenan Crow is an outdoor writer who graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism and creative writing. He has been writing for OutdoorHub for nearly five years, but anybody he is close with will tell you he has been telling hunting stories for far longer. He uses his experiences outdoors to write about things he loves - bow hunting, fishing, upland hunting, shed hunting, turkey hunting, waterfowl hunting, dog training, shotguns, ATVs and the outdoor lifestyle he lives in his home state of Michigan. Outside of hunting/fishing, he also loves to cook - especially with wild game - play golf and go on hikes with his yellow lab, Stella.

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