Bull elk’s antlers tangled up in 100 feet of netting. He’s ‘much lighter’ after rescue
Elk breeding season — when bull elks start getting their antlers trapped in ropes, swings, hammocks and netting — is almost here, and elk in Colorado are already getting themselves into trouble.
The breeding season — known as the rut — starts mid-September and runs through mid-October, wildlife officials said. So an elk that got its antlers wrapped in 100 feet of netting near a home in Evergreen was pretty early to the party.
Photos show the bull bound by the netting in a home’s yard.
“Our wildlife officer helped him with a quick makeover and he is much lighter now,” officials with Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a Sept. 5 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Before the rut starts, bull elks rub their antlers against trees, shrubs and the ground to shed the itchy, drying velvet from their antlers, according to the National Wildlife Federation. Once the rut starts, they do it to show dominance or to impress cow elk.
Last year, at least two bull elks got so tangled up in yard decorations they became known for carrying hammocks and rope swings around on their antlers for months.
“During the rut, male elk will rub their antlers everywhere,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said in the post. “Help us and them out by bringing any sort of swing, rope, netting inside so they don’t get caught.”
This story was originally published September 5, 2023 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Bull elk’s antlers tangled up in 100 feet of netting. He’s ‘much lighter’ after rescue."
