Passing Through . . . .

I received a letter from our homeowners association.  Ours is a community of about 200 homes with lot sizes of approximately 2-5 acres.  We live there from around July 1 until after the aspens turn in mid October and return for the Christmas holiday.  This past October, we had a trophy bull elk and his harem spending a lot of time in our neighborhood.  He was a magnificent looking guy and I was able to get some really great pictures.  I titled one of my favorites Lord of the Meadow.

Bull Elk and one of the girls crossing a meadow near our place in Evergreen

The association’s letter informed us that a number of homeowners wished to add a restrictive covenant limiting the use of firearms on the property of other homeowners.  Wondering what was going on, I e-mailed one of our neighbors and learned that a homeowner decided to shoot a trophy elk one October afternoon.  He got his high-powered rifle and, from the comfort of his deck, shot the animal.  He wounded the elk, which then left the shooters property.  Then shooter took off after the elk, pursuing the wounded animal over and through the properties of other owners without asking for or having received their permission.  According to reports, he was firing wildly.  Someone called the local police and the Colorado Department of Wildlife killed the badly wounded elk.  The mournful bleating of the elk traumatized school children who had returned home from school, many of whom watched the “sportsman” running around and firing wildly. The shooters wife, apparently disgusted with the guys behavior, told him to leave and he no longer resides in the county.

The request for a covenant change has supporters and opponents.  One one side are homeowners who are concerned about personal safety; on the other side are people worrying about 2nd amendment rights.  I have no problem with people hunting but do they have to do it in a residential neighborhood using high-powered rifles.  Is shooting an animal, who is virtually tame and has spent most of the fall in your neighborhood a sport?  Can’t hunters limit their shooting to areas where hunters normally hunt?

I am going to vote in support of a restrictive covenant.