As a “city mouse,” I am fully aware that my fisheries and wildlife knowledge is not as extensive as others. So I will just jump in and ask the question as it occurred to me:

“Roger” is an Elk. Big guy. Because he could have “raging hormones” in the fall, it was safest to put him down.

Horses are also big guys. Unaltered (gelded) horses can be a first-class pain to everyone when they think any other guy horses are sniffing after their fillies. A horse person explained this recently and I learned a whole new batch of stuff about ’em.

Which set my city-mouse brain to cranking out the WHY question — I drove Mom NUTS always asking WHY questions! It’s the Kat in me.

Why, if gelding a horse makes the big guy calm, cool, and collected couldn’t the Michigan Department of Natural Resources have gelded Roger and then he would not have had those hormonal issues?

Now I must explain, when I was in college in the dark ages, one of the boys came in late and explained that they had some trouble with their rooster and he was sorry to be late. I blurted out, “So get rid of the Rooster! He’s unnecessary anyhow.” All the farm kids had a good laugh at my expense. BUT REALLY unless you wanted baby chicks, that randy rooster is simply a pest.

COULD Roger have been gelded and would it have cooled his hormones?

Hopefully, someone with veterinary knowledge will enlighten us. Wish the late Doc Woolman was still with us! He’d have explained it pronto!

KAT HALL,

Alpena