‘Elk fever’ prompts man to treat elk herd like a shooting gallery

The sight of an elk herd numbering about 30 animals was apparently too much to resist for a 66-year-old man who repeatedly shot into the herd as if it were his own shooting gallery, and later blamed “elk fever” for his illegal actions near Nehalem, Oregon.

Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Troopers cited the unidentified man for shooting from a road, unlawful take/possession of antlerless elk, and unlawful take/possession of bull elk. The troopers seized a .308 rifle for evidence, along with the elk the man had tagged and processed, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The man had permission to hunt on private property. He legally killed a cow elk, field-dressed the animal and left the area, the landowner told officials.

“The guy came out and stopped at the road, and started shooting,” the landowner said. “I told another hunter, who said the guy shouldn’t have left. He should have called state police and turned himself in.”

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Instead, the landowner called the man and encouraged him to return to the field, call OSP and turn himself in for poaching, which is what the man did. Had he not, the landowner presumably would have done so.

The subject expressed remorse after the event and blamed “elk fever.”

Once OSP F&W Troopers reached the scene, they found three wounded elk wandering with the herd of about 30 animals. A trooper put down a mortally wounded cow elk, and the following day, troopers put down a mortally wounded bull. A wounded cow elk ran into the Nehalem River and presumably drowned.

Fortunately, the elk meat was not wasted. Two elk went to the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde and one elk went to the Tillamook County Jail.

Generic elk photos courtesy of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.