At some point Wednesday morning, a bull elk was hit by a vehicle two miles east of Emporia on I-35. Officials from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) came out to confirm that there had been no illegal activity.
Elk is a rare sighting in Lyon County. Aaron Scheve, Lyon County Game Warden, said that the elk most likely traveled from a known herd around Fort Riley – 90 miles away.
“There could be more elk entering the area,” Scheve said. “I was talking to another Game Warden from north of Emporia and he said that they’ve been seeing a few elk in a smaller group, about five or six or so traveling together, and we believe this elk might have come from that smaller herd.”
Elk are herding animals and usually do not part ways. When an older bull elk takes control of the herd, younger bulls can often be run out of the group. Elks can also become lost or travel outside of their group for the mating season.
“It’s not uncommon to see one or two lingering around another group, but not necessarily with the group,” Scheve explained.
Scheve estimated that the elk was most likely two to three years old. The Emporia resident who first alerted KDWP officials and the Lyon County Dispatch Center was issued a salvage tag and allowed to take possession of the carcass.
If someone sees an elk herd in the wild, Scheve encourages responsible viewing the animal from a safe distance.
“We do ask that people don’t pull over on the road and cause a traffic hazard but just enjoy our wildlife here in Kansas,” Scheve said. “There’s nothing wrong with just taking pictures and observing it a lot of times, if they’re not bothered by it, they’ll give you a pretty good show.”