When human environments and nature meet, mash-ups don't always have the best results. Unfortunately, deer and elk can end up with many things stuck in their antlers, such as this Oregon buck with Christmas lights. A different video was posted to the Good Bull Outdoors Instagram page showing an elk with a kids' swing caught in his antlers (some viewers mistook the swing for a dream catcher). The poor guy doesn't seem to have a full range of motion anymore, but he also doesn't look too terribly irritated. The videos caption jokes, "Still rocking the dream catcher accessory!" It was a joke that carried through to the comments.
View this post on Instagram
Walking around with a big ring made of rope attached to your head can't be fun. It's probably more difficult to walk through the trees and brush, and it may not be a popular look with the ladies. One commenter wrote, "It seems simple enough to sedate and remove this. Pretty sad to watch. Praying he sheds this soon." Another echoed, "Can't anyone do something for him?" Of course, removing the swing would involve human intervention, which park rangers try to avoid. Good Bull Outdoors wrote, "They won't intervene unless he's unable to feed—otherwise they'll just wait until he sheds his antlers."
Another viewer chimed in with, "I was thinking the same thing. Tranq him and remove it. But at least he won't be having elk nightmares. If dogs dream, do elk dream too?" While many viewers echoed concern for his overall well-being, a few found an upside to the situation. "He seems to enjoy the extra ability to scratch the hard-to-reach places," one commented. Another joked, "He caught himself a nightmare."
Of course, a few commenters pointed out that it was a kids' swing, not a dream catcher. Good Bull Outdoors replied confirming that it was in fact a kids' swing that had become tangled in the poor elk's antlers, along with a couple others who have the same swing at their homes.
One of the bigger upsides is that it will be much easier to find the full antlers once he sheds the contraption. But the elk will be stuck with it for a while. Elk typically do not shed their antlers until January, and it can take up to April for them to drop. Hopefully, this guy can maintain his diet until then!
