Is hitting golf balls at an elk off limits?
As we’re seeing in this clip out of Colorado, there’s a fine line between having a little fun and harassing wildlife. The video shows an amateur golfer on a driving range directing his shots towards a group of elk that had wandered onto the practice facility – and the person filming wasn’t happy about it.
Right after the guy hits a ball and it narrowly misses the elk, the man taking the video exclaims:
“If you want to keep hitting at the elk, I’ll happily send the video into the cops.”
Clearly the guys on the driving range are looking at using the elk as target practice a little more lightheartedly than the man with the camera. But then again, wildlife in Colorado are protected by a nuisance law, which states that it is illegal to harass wildlife – and endangering, worrying and disturbing all count as harassment.
So technically, hitting golf balls intentionally in the direction of some elk could be illegal. Although the video below doesn’t look all that malicious. Maybe a light chip shot will get them off the range and the golfers can go back to driving?
So should someone go to jail? Or is the guy videoing the whole thing overreacting?
Judging by the comments section below the post, the decision on who is in the wrong is rather split. There’s a multitude of people saying that the golfer is guilty of wildlife harassment, and should face some sort of punishment or repercussion:
“I’d report him! That is pure stupidity and harassment!”
“Send the video to fish and game turn him in for harassment of wild life.”
“Report him to the clubhouse. He shouldn’t be on the course.”
While on the other side of things, there are plenty of people saying that the whole situation is overblown, and the guy who came up behind the golfers and started recording is overreacting:
“The ‘I’m telling the teacher’ kids are thriving in this day and age.”
“Definitely not going to hurt an elk with a golf ball.”
“It’s driving range, not an animal sanctuary. If I paid for balls I’m hitting them.”
Whose side are you on? If I’m being honest, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t ever taken aim at things that cross onto the driving range (like the range cart guy). And to be frank, animals like elk are faced with things in the wild that are a lot more dangerous than a little white ball hit by an amateur golfer.
Though obviously, I wouldn’t be on board with someone like Rory McIlroy hitting stingers into the elk…
