In early March, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers freed a bull elk whose antlers became entangled in a livestock hay feeder near Rangely.

Officers had to tase and stun the large elk to disentangle it. The wildlife officers assigned to the Rangely area were able to cut the entrapped antler with a handsaw while the animal was briefly stunned, said Rachael Gonzales, CPW public information officer. The officers had launched a drone in advance to catch the situation on video.

The incident is an example of the strain that this winter of abundant snow has had on wildlife and increased wildlife encounters in Northwestern Colorado, Gonzales said.

Gonzales reminded residents to remove such items as clothes lines, swings, volleyball nets and Christmas lights that may entangle wildlife, which are already stressed with the difficulties of foraging for food this winter. CPW is anticipating higher than normal winter mortality rates in wildlife in the region.