mike doughty
02-13-2007, 05:58 PM
some pics my buddy sent me
>
> RENO, Nev. (AP) -- It's not all checking hunting and fishing licenses.
>Sometimes the issues are bigger. Like when a Nevada game warden was handed
>the chore of figuring out how to separate two bull elk who locked horns
>while sparring and couldn't untangle them.
>
> The saga began Nov. 21 when a rancher in Reese River Valley spotted the
>two elk.
>
> By the following day, the animals were gone and the rancher assumed they
>had separated.
>
> A week later, according to Nevada Division of Wildlife biologist Tom
>Donham, the rancher was out looking for some of his cows and saw the elk
>again.
>
> This time, he called the wildlife department and Donham, game warden
>Brian Eller and Bureau of Land Management wildlife biologist Bryson Code
>headed out to see what they could do.
>
> When they reached Indian Valley, south of Austin, it was Nov. 29, one
>week after the elk were first seen.
>
> "When we arrived where the rancher had last seen them, we found them
>pretty quickly. They were both lying on the ground and one of them was in a
>very uncomfortable looking position with his head directly above the others
>head and his nose pointing straight up to the sky," Donham said. Eller said
>he wondered if they had survived their ordeal.
>
> "Once we found out they were alive, I was hoping they couldn't move and
>would stay where they were. That didn't happen. When they ran off, I was
>hoping that they could not go very far. That didn't happen either," he
>said.
>
> The elk may have been sparring at the outset, but Donham and Eller say
>they used teamwork to run for nearly a mile to evade the newcomers. "It
>looked like they had been doing it all their lives; serious cooperation if
>I've ever seen it," Donham said.
>
> After two unsuccessful attempts, Donham was able to get a tranquilizer
>dart into one of the elk. With one down, the other could not run, but was
>also partially tranquilized in order to separate the two.
>
> Eller and Code helped hold the elk down while Donham used a hand saw to
>remove part of an antler off one of them.
>
> "As soon as they were apart, the bull that hadn't gotten a full dose
>jumped to his feet and Bryson, Brian and I quickly gave him all the room he
>wanted. He went off about 30 yards and lay down for about 10 minutes before
>finally walking up the hill and over the ridge, none the worse for wear"
>Donham said.
>
> The other elk was treated with antibiotics and eventually walked off as
>well after the tranquilizer had worn off.
>
> "If these two bulls had not been discovered, and we never got the call,
>they more than likely would have both died. Watching the bulls walk away,
>and knowing that we likely saved them from a slow death was definitely one
>of those moments that makes this job rewarding."?
>
>
> RENO, Nev. (AP) -- It's not all checking hunting and fishing licenses.
>Sometimes the issues are bigger. Like when a Nevada game warden was handed
>the chore of figuring out how to separate two bull elk who locked horns
>while sparring and couldn't untangle them.
>
> The saga began Nov. 21 when a rancher in Reese River Valley spotted the
>two elk.
>
> By the following day, the animals were gone and the rancher assumed they
>had separated.
>
> A week later, according to Nevada Division of Wildlife biologist Tom
>Donham, the rancher was out looking for some of his cows and saw the elk
>again.
>
> This time, he called the wildlife department and Donham, game warden
>Brian Eller and Bureau of Land Management wildlife biologist Bryson Code
>headed out to see what they could do.
>
> When they reached Indian Valley, south of Austin, it was Nov. 29, one
>week after the elk were first seen.
>
> "When we arrived where the rancher had last seen them, we found them
>pretty quickly. They were both lying on the ground and one of them was in a
>very uncomfortable looking position with his head directly above the others
>head and his nose pointing straight up to the sky," Donham said. Eller said
>he wondered if they had survived their ordeal.
>
> "Once we found out they were alive, I was hoping they couldn't move and
>would stay where they were. That didn't happen. When they ran off, I was
>hoping that they could not go very far. That didn't happen either," he
>said.
>
> The elk may have been sparring at the outset, but Donham and Eller say
>they used teamwork to run for nearly a mile to evade the newcomers. "It
>looked like they had been doing it all their lives; serious cooperation if
>I've ever seen it," Donham said.
>
> After two unsuccessful attempts, Donham was able to get a tranquilizer
>dart into one of the elk. With one down, the other could not run, but was
>also partially tranquilized in order to separate the two.
>
> Eller and Code helped hold the elk down while Donham used a hand saw to
>remove part of an antler off one of them.
>
> "As soon as they were apart, the bull that hadn't gotten a full dose
>jumped to his feet and Bryson, Brian and I quickly gave him all the room he
>wanted. He went off about 30 yards and lay down for about 10 minutes before
>finally walking up the hill and over the ridge, none the worse for wear"
>Donham said.
>
> The other elk was treated with antibiotics and eventually walked off as
>well after the tranquilizer had worn off.
>
> "If these two bulls had not been discovered, and we never got the call,
>they more than likely would have both died. Watching the bulls walk away,
>and knowing that we likely saved them from a slow death was definitely one
>of those moments that makes this job rewarding."?
>