WATCH: Elk Seen Walking On Eastern Iowa Airport Runway

There is plenty of cool wildlife in the state of Iowa. Sure, we have our smaller animals like squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs, and others. Typically, the only antlered animals we see walking around are those deer that try to jump in front of our vehicles.

Recently, a decent-sized elk wanted to show up our native deer and test its luck with planes on a runway. Alright, there wasn't a plane trying to take off or land, but an elk was spotted checking out a municipal airport in Eastern Iowa. The elk was also seen running through a neighborhood.

The Johnson County Sheriff's Office shared the video above on social media of an elk running through a neighborhood in Iowa City during the morning on Monday, Sept. 11th.

Officials say the elk has been seen at other locations in the Iowa City area over the last week. They also remind people to give the animal plenty of room and do not approach it. With elk being protected under the Iowa Code, illegally killing it would result in a $1,000 fine.

Get our free mobile app

Elk were once native to Iowa before it was settled. The Iowa DNR says that the last reported historical sighting of a native elk was in 1871. They can frequently be seen in western and central Iowa in the fall during the breeding season. That's typically when young bucks wander into the state from wild herds in Nebraska and South Dakota, according to The Gazette.

The video of the elk on the Iowa City Airport's runway can't be embedded in this article, but here's a screenshot.

Take a look at the video on Facebook sent to the Muscatine Iowa Weather StormTeam from Ryan by clicking here.