The reason this elk in in your back yard is BECAUSE it's hunting season. Experienced bucks (those who have survived several hunting seasons, as this one clearly has), vacate their usual haunts when hunters appear and retreat to what they have learned is the safety of suburbia. During hunting season, walk into the woods and see just how hard it is to spot a "legal" specimen.

My parents live in a deer and elk preserve area. Elk are hard on gardens. They will pull up things that are poisonous (like daffodils) and only then realize they don't want them. My parents' entire garden is under a layer of chicken wire.

The elk are fun to watch, though, especially during mating season when they bugle and charge each other.

... and how much do they charge each other for each "bugle"?

Sounds like suburbia has, uh, rubbed off on them...

I'd kill to have his house and yard. Kill.

BF wants this guy bad. Wants, I tell you!

He's waaaayyy bigger than the 8-pointer BF got last week!

The problem is that most people don't realize that deer (and moose) are not Bambi. They are simply rabbits with antlers.

If I can take a deer in my back yard -- I'm going to.

I live in Colorado, and you would not belive the number of idiots who will try to walk up next to the elk for a picture. They're wild animals, people, and they can charge you at any second. Trust me, you don't want that to happen to you.

That said, they run all over downtown Estes Park and have actually learned to cross the street with the traffic light.

Gonna need to get a bigger grill.

"...you would not belive the number of idiots"

I would. I'm in Montana. People think bison are just big cows they can sling an arm around to get their picture.

"...you would not belive the number of idiots"

I would. I'm in Montana. People think bison are just big cows they can sling an arm around to get their picture.

That is just chlorine in the gene pool, like the guy in Alaska who got himself and his girlfriend eaten by Kodiaks by walking up to them and crooning "I love yoooooou, Mr Bear!".

Most towns have laws barring the non-defense discharge of a firearm within town limits.

So use a bow.

I'm not sure if it's illegal to hunt without a permit (or with one) in your backyard.

Have you seen Ron White's take on hunting? HYSTERICAL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLuIRPpNpRc

Nice rack.

I'm not sure if it's illegal to hunt without a permit (or with one) in your backyard.

Well for me, I'm distinctly rural so it is legal. In most states its legal to take an animal on your property as a "nuisance". Discharging a firearm is a different story -- but might be allowed for the purposes of taking a nuisance animal.

You could bag several deer at my house by firing out the door of the rec room, and watch TV at the same time. You have to be careful driving down the street because the stupid animals will leap out in front of your car.

Jim, interesting question. I live in the city limits and we have a similar law. I don't know about "nuisance" animals, but you can legally fire a gun to eliminate a dangerous animal. And the definition of "dangerous" is rather lenient as long as it's on your property and you know how to handle a firearm. Some years ago, when I lived in a dangerous neighborhood, the elderly lady across the street from me found a rattlesnake in her back yard. Her next door neighbor called the police to ask if it was OK for him to kill it with his shotgun, and they told him to go ahead. And he did.

Rattlesnakes are rare in my area. But if I saw one it's life expectancy is the time to get my gun.

Same for bear, wolves, lions, etc. While they may be sacred of me -- I refuse to live around predators either 4 legged or two.

I don't live in teh suburbs, asshole.