“Anyone Ever Seen This?” Colorado Hunter Asks After Shooting Elk with Deformed Hooves

After downing a cow elk about 60 miles west of Pueblo, Colorado, an elk hunter and his son discovered something peculiar about the animal after further inspection. After spotting the elk from about 500-600 yards away, the father-son duo decided to put the stalk on the cow as they watched her make her way up to the top of a ridge.

As they watched the elk, nothing stood out to them about her movements and they reported that she looked to be in fine physical condition. As they closed the distance on the elk, Tyler McKinley’s father went in for the kill by himself as his son watched in anticipation. Getting within shooting distance, McKinley’s father put the cow elk on the ground with a well placed shot and as the pair approached the animal after the kill, they discovered something that is still leaving them scratching their heads.

As they approached the elk, the pair immediately took notice of the animal's hooves. Overgrown and all twisted up, they looked as though the animal had undergone some sort of strange mutation. Having not seen anything like this before, the pair continued to process the animal and returned home with photographic and physical evidence they hoped would provide some answers.

Noting that the animal otherwise looked incredibly healthy, Tyler turned to the Colorado Elk Hunters Facebook page for answers. Posting up the photos along with the comment asking if “Anyone ever seen this?”, it wasn’t long before the speculative answers started pouring in.

In addition to the comments on social media, McKinley went to Colorado Parks and Wildlife with the evidence and the warden he spoke to told him that the hoof deformations were likely the result of some sort of nutritional deficiency. The warden went on to assure McKinley that the animal’s meat was fine to be consumed.

As the answers continued to pour in over on the Facebook page, many of the commenters pointed to an increase in these kinds of findings in nearby Washington State. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, they’re attributing these types of hoof deformities to what is known as treponema-associated hoof disease - or TAHD. 

As of right now, officials have stated that the disease seems to be infectious among elk, but is in no way being transmitted to humans. As for a possible outbreak in Colorado, Parks and Wildlife officials are saying that it is something they are monitoring, but is not of chief concern at the moment.