Estes Park Trail Gazette reported: It happens around here every year about this time. A licensed hunter shoots an elk on private land within sight of a public road or dwelling and some poor, misguided soul get their knickers all in a twist, calls the local game warden, writes a nasty letter to the editor condemning the hunter or, as in a recent case, just plain flips out and starts screaming insults and profanities at the top of their lungs at the hunter. Not nice.
Of course, rude behavior and fowl language are never in good taste, but it’s easy to see how some folks could grow emotionally attached to these animals; they’re magnificent creatures.
Some of the elk west of town are no doubt part of the famous herd that roams Rocky Mountain National Park and its fringes. The bulls may wander into the foothills and nearby suburban tracts in search of cows during the September rut while still others — cows and bulks alike — filter down from higher elevations as winter snows drive them from the high country, but the bulk of the Loveland herd is almost certainly comprised of year round residents safely living the good life in the foothills and adjacent private tracts of land west and south of town.
For obvious reasons, their numbers have increased dramatically. Though I’m not certain of the source, the Loveland herd has reportedly grown to well over 600 head of bulls, cows and calves. Over the years, they’ve become habituated to life in the suburbs.
.