Seems the reason he was asking is that he has an 8 foot fence, which the elk regularly jump. Well, not regularly exactly. They jump the fence just as his corn is ripe and he’s ready to pick it, stealing it out from under him every year.
I’m glad I hadn’t been planning to plant corn. The last thing I need is an elk yearling inside the fence with a cow trying to rescue it.

the whole process has been very interesting. From writing and approving the plan (committees never do anything quickly) to gathering volunteers to implementing the data gathering, the whole process has been crazy. After the plan was written, the state agencies had to approve before it could be implemented. This wasn’t a real struggle as we had certified biologists involved, but I’d never seen anything like it.

The initial data gathering was a great surprise to me. After they put the elk out, blood, skin scrapings, feces and even a tooth are taken. It seems that these items give the greatest range of data – age, health, pregnancy, parasite load. The girth is measured and they put a collar around the cows neck. The collar will allow for tacking by triangulation later, showing the movements of the sub herd over time.

The initial data is showing that this winter was very hard on the herds. The elk are near to starving. This isn’t a big surprise, it just confirms that the elk have all travelled to the populated areas where the foraging is easy because people plant their yards full of goodies. this is exactly the problem, the easy forage brings too many elk into the area and they make the people crazy and themselves sick. Soon we’ll have better/more data to get the state to help us to encourage the elk to higher ground and out of people’s yards.

My husband and I have decided that we should be growing some of our own food. Our decision to do this was motivated more by our desire to eat things grown closer to home, and it just doesn’t get much closer than in your own yard. This decision wasn’t motivated by finances, though that doesn’t hurt, rather out of a sens of environmental responsibility. The localvore movement appeals to me as a consumer and I love to grow things, so this was a natural next step.

One of the problems we’ve had to face about living with elk is that they eat everything. In order to get any food out of the garden we’re planning we’ve decided to put in a fence. I agonized over this for more than a year. There must be a fence to have a garden, but then we lose the elk coming right up to the windows and peeking in the house. I finally came up with a plot that I hope will minimally impact their trails and travel through the yard, but still allow for enough space to grow some food.

Looking out the window at the fence posts, I’m concerned about whether I’ve made the right choice. There are voices in my head second guessing me, telling me that I’ve chosen wrong and that it will all come crashing down. I’m doing my best to ignore them. The fence will be finished by Friday, so the only way is forward. And time will tell us if it works or not.

In the mean time, I’m trying to plan for Phase One: the building of the garden proper and plant purchasing. I’m using a couple of resources that I hope will yield good results. I’ll make sure to note them as I get further into this process.

In the last couple of meetings it has become clear to me that we’re some of the few who feel that way. Most folks are irritated because the elk are eating their shrubs and apples. The commercial folk want “someone” to pay for a fence to keep the elk out. This makes me crazy. None of these people moved into the area before there were large herbivores. They knew the risks and accepted them, but have since become dissatisfied.

I feel no pity for their plight.

We’re planning to put in a veggie garden, but I’m planning the fence that will go around it so that I get the fruits of my labor, instead of the elk. Yes, this is inconvenient and expensive. But it’s the price I pay for sharing my yard with nature, and I pay it gladly. If you want perfectly manicured yards, or don’t want to deal with wild things, move back to the city. The hermetically sealed and controlled yard just doesn’t exist out here.

I started going to these meetings because I wanted to make sure that at least one person there actually wanted elk to stick around. I’ve learned a lot during these meetings, especially around the size of the herd and their territory. I’m still strongly of the opinion that the people here need to be aware of their wild neighbors and accommodate them. Fortunately, I get to continue to express this as I was elected to our voting committee last night. I’m really excited about this, in large part because I was asked to join, specifically because of my contrary views. I’m really hoping to bring some alternate view points to the group and keep them grounded in doing what’s best for the animals and not just the people.

At first it sounded as though a truck was trying to load something in the driveway. I assumed that the meter reader was here, but no car when I went to check. So I looked the other way, and what do I see but a buck trying to get the better of the wheelbarrow.

His battle went on for several minutes while he bashed the wheelbarrow against the post that will eventually corner our compost heaps. Back and forth it went, rocking in the ground despite the concrete footing. It’s a good thing we were so careful to get those properly planted. I would never have guessed they’d have to stand up to a battle with an elk.

Just when it looked like the elk was getting bored, he discovered he could hook his horns into the legs of the wheelbarrow and drag it around. He spent another minute pushing the wheelbarrow around and trying to pick it up. I don’t know if he strained his neck at all with that awkward angle, but it certainly didn’t seem to stop him from trying to lift and/or throw it.

While all of this play was going on, the rest of the herd munched away on the lawn. The only one interested in this guys antics was the other buck. I couldn’t tell if he thought there might be a fight later, or if it just looked like fun and was thinking about getting in on the game.

I stood there for about 2 minutes before the buck really noticed me. He stopped his play to look at me through the window, ready to run. When he decided that I wasn’t a threat, he licked his nose a few times and wandered off nonchalantly. It was almost as though he were a child, embarrassed that he’d been caught doing something silly but not about to admit it to anyone. Let alone himself.

See the rest of the set here.