There are a litany of various illnesses one can catch. Dengue fever, Polio, COVID, and of course the rocking pneumonia and the boogie-woogie flu.
However, a man in Oregon has contracted a new and very rare disease: Elk Fever.
No, Elk Fever is not a disease that can be diagnosed via testing and a stay in the hospital. Elk Fever can only be diagnosed by actions the afflicted takes.
Case in Point:
A hunter with a late season cow elk tag told Oregon State Police he was overcome with “Elk Fever” when he illegally shot four elk.
He had permission in January from a landowner to hunt near Nehalem, OR. The 66-year-old man, who has not been named by authorities, was hunting on said property when he came across a substantially sized herd of elk.
Now, if you’re a hunter, you know the feeling this can illicit. It is one of pure, distilled excitement. However, as a hunter, you need to know where and when you can legally discharge your firearm, as well as the importance of a clean and ethical harvest.
This fella failed miserably.
He decided to fire upon the heard despite the fact that they were directly adjacent to Highway 101. Broken law number one. The second mistake the hunter made while under the grip of Elk Fever was the decision to fire upon multiple elk, hitting at least four.
One of the elk died, i.e. the only one that was shot properly. Oregon State Patrol Troopers had to kill two of the elk that were that were mortally wounded, i.e. shot at by a moron. The fourth elk, which was shot even more poorly that the previous three, drowned in the Nehalem River.
The hunter turned himself in, feeling the appropriate guilt of wasting not only quality meat, but also because of the wanton and selfish nature of his crimes. Although many who don’t hunt, or despise hunters in general wouldn’t understand that we take seriously our charge of being actual stewards of the land and responsible harvesting of God’s bounty.
The hunter was cited for shooting near a roadway, and illegally killing elk. He got off easy, in my opinion.