Spectacular horn sparring and bugling bull elk are quite the September spectacle.

And all that’s not to mention the “cows” or females of the species and their young of the year called “calves.”

As you can see, the mega-sized and regal deer family members are linked up more with cattle in the naming business than they are with their daintier buck, doe and fawn deer cousins.

At any rate, the annual September mating ritual is a major tourist attraction to say the least.

In fact, the tourism draw is so much a factor that the neighboring and heavily populated Keystone State of Pennsylvania urges folks to bring snacks and to even refrain from profanity for when they encounter the, you guessed it, herds of entertaining elk in Yellowstone Park-like traffic jams of viewers.

Yogi bear should feel slighted at the attention his cloven-hoofed wildlife comrades are getting! By the way, if you thought we were kidding here’s the Keystone State’s top ten guidelines to their some 100,000 per annum prospective elk “viewers”:

1.) Don’t stop on the road to watch elk.

2.) Don’t walk or park on private property – especially driveways – without permission.

3.) Don’t approach or attempt to pet elk ever.

4.) Don’t disturb elk or property owners by horn honking or yelling.

5.) Don’t feed elk, as it is illegal.

6.) Don’t litter and consider cleaning up what others may leave.

7.) Don’t be judgmental, enjoy yourself or just move to a place more to your liking.

8.) Don’t use profanity.

9.) Don’t be selfish, share good vistas and viewing blinds.

10.) Don’t crowd others, wait your turn.

Talk about an annual friends of elk rally!

Other recent news compliments of the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) include a young bull elk sparring and tangling up with a backyard hanging swing.

There was the one locked up with a tire swing a few years back.

Also, four of their elk were recently found dead over corn piles.

Though it’s illegal to either feed or hunt elk over bait there, do-gooders are literally killing them with their kindness.

The PGC’s vet explained that elk, like deer, have complex digestive systems and as such any quick conversion to a rich diet like corn can be lethal.

If you’d like to do a little down home elk viewing without the massive Keystone crowds, Kentucky offers some possibilities within a two hour drive or less to the readership area.

In fact, Jenny Wiley State Park at Prestonsburg offers guided elk viewing bus tours. For more on this elk touring, phone the Park at 606-889-1790.