Elk in St. Cloud?

[SSSTaxidermy]

Ayone else see this article in the times? Was this from a game farm or something?

Or better yet, did anyone physically see it?

From the SC Times....

Latest: Elk roams East Side

St. Cloud police responded to an elk running through the business district of East St. Germain Street early this morning.

The elk left the area when an officer responded about 3 a.m. to a report of a hazard, Sgt. Jerry Edblad said.

“We wouldn’t interfere with the animal. We just let it move on its way,” Edblad said.

An officer caught the elk’s movements on video. There was no traffic on the street at the time. Edblad said.

[Shack]

I have a neighbor who swears he saw one a month or so ago in Sherburne Wildlife area. I dismissed it as BS, because he is walker only and not a sportsman. I might have to take back some smack talk now!

I pass by elk farms all the time and I could see were one could get out and run free! I am sure one could survive out Sand dunes and Sherburne for a long time!

[IFallsRon]

The police video was on TV this morning. Pretty soon there'll be a bowhunt to keep them out of the lefty's yards.

[B@ssDoctor]

It is also on Kare 11 home page. You can hear them laughing on the tape and they were calling it a Caribou. I suppose they had a hard time believing an Elk could be in St. Cloud, but a Caribou from Alaska was more realistic!

[Tippman]

A co-worker of mine saw him while leaving work late at night. Said she didn't know what it was and it just stood on the side of the road and looked at her. The police followed it down to the Veterans bridge area that night where they lost sight of it.

[UncleKes]

Elk were originaly native to Minnesota. Hence the name Elk River. They were creatures that inhabited the Open Plains of this country. In the early 19th century they were shot out and eventually retreated into the Rocky Mountains. The State of Minnesota tried to reestablish them up in the Northwestern part of the state about 25 years ago but it never quite worked out. They kept escaping from the wildlife area they were in and damaging crops and such. There are a few game farms around that raise them for the restaurant business.

There was one a few years back that escaped from a game farm in Wisconsin and was sited out at the Sherburne Federal Wildlife area once or twice. Apparently the animal was on walkabout and generally heading for the Rocky Mountains. The DNR in Minneota, South Dakota, and Montana kept track of the critter for about a year and a half until it disappeared in the mountains around Billings.

[ozzie]

hey uncleKes- there are two wild elk herds in nw MN still.....not sure if you knew this or not but by your post it sounds like we don't have wild elk in this state. Grygla and Kittson County herds!

[Royce Aardahl]

I saw a bull by Rockville 3 years ago close to where I hunt. I figured it just got through a fence. Lots of elk out there behind fences. I suppose it could have been wild.

[UncleKes]

Ozzie: Oh really? I was NOT aware they were still up there. Good to know! Thanks for the info. Its always good to see a species that was once native to Minesota reintroduced. I hope they will eventually be introduced into other areas as well. There is a nice area just East of Garrison on Mille Lacs that I think could support a few of them. Once again, Ozzie, Thanks for the info. I may take the girl friend and her 14 year old son up there next summer to see them. The boy is into hunting and reads all about hunting big game. He just passed his firearms safety program so I will ber taking him grouse hunting in a few weeks up around Hill City. We are aslo tal,king about doing rabbits as soon as we get a little snow.

[Nate McVey]

Here is a post I started in the BWCA-DULUTH forum. Lots of good info on the elk herd in MN

MN Elk in Kittison County