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They're dealing with an abundance of aggressive bull elk in the city this season.

"This is probably the most active season I've season," Rick Spowardt with the Colorado Division of Wildlife said.

In the 23 years Spowardt has worked for the DOW, he's never seen so many angry bull elk in Estes Park at one time.

"A lot of people have been chased by them," he said.

A few days ago, Spowardt received a call from the manager of the 18-hole golf course in Estes Park. He told Spowardt about an aggressive bull elk who was chasing people away from the green.

"The night before he [the bull elk] gored a car," Spowardt said.

Spowardt decided to check it out, and when he did, the bull elk decided to give Spowardt a run for his money too.

"He was pretty cranked up," Spowardt said.

At this point, Spowardt tried something that's popular with wildlife officers at Yellowstone National Park and a section of British Columbia.

"And that was to drug immobilize the elk and saw off its antlers," Spowardt said.

Spowardt loaded his tranquilizer gun, fired off a few shots and started sawing away. He would have preferred not to have taken away the elk's antlers, but Spowardt says he didn't have a choice.

"I felt sorry for him, but I think it was preferable than him injuring somebody or worse," Spowardt said.

Spowardt says he will only perform the procedure if it means saving an elk's life or someone else's.