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."
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Ingredients
2cups self-rising flour
1 cup beer or ale (your choice)
Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
4 catfish fillets (3-5 oz.) cut into 3" strips Vegetable oil for frying
Directions
Combine 1 cup flour, beer, garlic salt, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well.
Dip catfish strips in remaining flour and then in the beer batter. Fry in hot oil in a deep-fryer or skillet until golden brown.
Drain on absorbent towels. Serve hot with your favorite sauce.
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| 3 lb |
Elk or Deer |
| 2 1/2 c |
Vinegar |
| 3 c |
Water |
| 2 |
Medium onions, sliced |
| 1/2 |
Lemon sliced |
| 6 |
Whole cloves |
| 3 |
Bay leaves |
| 6 |
Whole black pepper |
| 1 1/2 ts |
Salt |
| 1 ts |
Fat |
| 1 1/2 tb |
Flour |
| Place meat in a large bowl; add vinegar, water, onions, cloves, pepper and salt. Let meat stand 48 hours in refrigerator, turning occasionally. Remove meat, brown in hot fat. Remove meat and add flour, brown and add 2 cups vinegar marinade mixture; cook until mixture thickens. Add meat and simmer for two hours. Remove, slice meat and pour gravy over meat. |
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| Source: huntandfishcolorado.com |
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