An elk was caught on camera exploring several neighborhoods in Altus, Oklahoma, this week.

In a video shared on the city’s Facebook page, the elk is seen hopping over fences in a few backyards while Altus police and animal control officers, as well as the Oklahoma game warden, worked to guide the elk safely toward open land.

When it became clear the elk wasn’t ready to leave, the team called the Oklahoma game warden to the scene and Animal Control Officer Nick West safely and humanely tranquilized the elk so it could be relocated.

“We want to thank everyone involved for their teamwork, patience, and quick response. Their efforts kept both the community and the elk safe,” the city’s post reads.

While elk may appear gentle or friendly, they’re still powerful animals, the city’s post notes.

“If you ever see one in town, the safest thing to do is admire from a distance and contact Animal Control. No selfies, no feeding, and no chasing,” the post says.

Are there any wild elk in Oklahoma?

According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the largest free-ranging elk herds in the state can be found in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, as well as at Pushmataha, Cookson Hills, Spavinaw, and Cherokee wildlife management areas. Small herds can also be found on private land in Kiowa, Comanche, and Caddo counties.

Are elk rare in the south?

Seeing an elk is still a rare sight in Oklahoma, but it’s not as rare as it once was.

Elk once roamed the Wichita Mountains before Oklahoma became a state, but the population was gone by 1875. In 1901, land was set aside, which became the refuge, and seven years later, elk were reintroduced to southwest Oklahoma.

Since then, herds have grown significantly. In 2012, ODWC conducted a helicopter survey and estimated 3,200 free-ranging elk statewide, The Oklahoman previously reported. By 2019, ODWC staff estimated Oklahoma’s statewide elk population had grown to more than 5,000.

WACO, Texas (KXXV) — To say the least, it has been a memorable four games for Baylor football so far this season.

A walk off field goal by Arizona State at McLane Stadium brings the Bears to 2-2 for the season and now they are heading to Stillwater looking to bounce back against Oklahoma State.

Watch the full story here:

Baylor looks to bounce back in road game against Oklahoma State

“Saturday’s game was a tough one,” head coach Dave Aranda said. “But, I think the message there is that hey, you can prepare, you can practice, you can do all of the things — that doesn’t mean you’re gonna win. There’s still more things that you gotta do.”

“There’s no participation trophy for preparing right and staying late and doing the extra all these details matter and so we’re really focused on that,” he added.

The Bears enter Stillwater following the firing of Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy after 21 years on the job. While the Cowboys are reeling, the Bears understand that they still have a talented roster.

“They play hard, you know. They get after the ball, their record doesn’t reflect the kind of team they are. They got a lot of talent and they’re gonna be ready to play,” safety Devyn Bobby said.

“Same thing we always talk about — respect all, fear none. We take that into every week, you know they’re still a great program. They have great coaching staff, great athletes on the field, so we gotta be prepared and ready for them,” wide receiver Kobe Prentice said.

After the Arizona State game, head coach Aranda spoke about complimentary football. While the defense had a great game last week, the offense struggled — and they are looking to find that balance.

“Obviously we didn’t get the win, so we got to get better so you know a lot of people might say we had a great game but we didn’t get to win — we could have had more stops, had more turnovers, but you know we’re still having to attack everyday mindset and we’re trying to get better,” Bobby said.

“The higher level than all of that is the team is that you know if one side’s down the other side picks it up. We need to be able to have that, you know, when we’ve played at the level that we need to play, we play that way and so we’re going to continue to aim for it,” Aranda said.

Baylor vs Oklahoma State is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. this Saturday.

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Oklahoma State football has fired head coach Mike Gundy after 21 seasons, the program announced on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

Gundy, previously the second-longest tenured head coach with one program in college football, led the Cowboys to a 1-2 start this season, including a 19-12 loss to in-state foe Tulsa on Sept. 19, which was OSU’s first at home to Tulsa since 1951. Oklahoma State also lost to Oregon 69-3 in Week 2.

REQUIRED READING: ‘Fire Gundy’ chant breaks out as Oklahoma State loses to in-state G5 opponent Tulsa

“Cowboy Football reached an unprecedented level of success and national prominence under Coach Gundy’s leadership,” OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg said in the announcement. “I believe I speak for OSU fans everywhere when I say that we are grateful for all he did to raise the standard and show us all what is possible for Oklahoma State football.”

Oklahoma State is amid its longest losing streak to Power Four teams in program history, having lost 11 straight against such teams. The Cowboys went 3-9 last season and were winless in Big 12 play. Gundy leaves the program with a 170-90 career record and has the school’s winningest coach of all time. He has 108 more wins than Pat Jones, who ranks second in program history with 62 wins.

Gundy is owed a $15 million buyout from the school due to be fired prior to Dec. 31, 2027, according to his contract obtained by the USA TODAY Network.

Gundy said after the Tulsa loss that he had no interest in 2025 being his final season with the program, and was swarmed with questions about his future with the school.

“In 21 years it’s a different position than I’ve been in,” Gundy said. “As I say every week, my job is to evaluate the overall program, players, the systems … And then I have to make a decision on where we’re at based on what we have. That’s what I do. We’ve certainly been in a different situation a lot of years in a row, but currently we’re not in that situation.” 

The 58-year-old coach helped build Oklahoma State into a perennial Big 12 title contender after taking over for Les Miles in 2005. He nearly led the Cowboys to the national championship in 2011, and was Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2010, 2021 and 2023.

The fall from grace was fast for the program, as the Cowboys earned a spot in the Big 12 championship in 2023, and also beat archrival Oklahoma in the final Bedlam for the foreseeable future.

Gundy, a former Oklahoma State quarterback and Midwest City, Oklahoma, native, has only coached four seasons at other schools in his career, serving as passing-game coordinator at Baylor in 1996 and receivers coach at Maryland from 1997-99. He was an assistant at Oklahoma State from 1990-95, and again from 2001-04.

Oklahoma State will turn to a new coach for the first time in over 20 years for the 2026 season, and they’ll look to lead the program back to the heights of Gundy’s prime in Stillwater.