STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK
PHOTOS COURTESY OF IDAHO FISH AND GAME
Even bull elk like a little R & R, especially after a busy day of rutting and bugling.
But you can be sure one bull elk will not seek the comfort of a hammock next time he wants a little shut eye.
That bull elk, who’s been hanging out in Cold Springs, Gimlet and the Aspen Hollow area south of Ketchum, drew the attention of several Wood River Valley residents earlier this week when they saw him struggling to keep his head above water while standing in the Big Wood River near Broadway Run and the Meadow’s Trailer Park.
Blaine County Sheriff deputies arrived to find the elk entangled in what appeared to be a hammock intertwined within its antlers.
A local Fish and Game officer arrived shortly afterwards, said Fish and Game communications officer Terry Thompson. And they worked to get the bull onto a nearby island.
Since it was late in the evening, they determined that darting and anesthetizing the elk so the hammock could be safely removed would be too risky for both the elk and Fish and Game officers.
So, Fish and Game biologists left the elk to a fitful sleep and returned after daybreak the next day to dart the bull elk with an anesthetizing drug. As he stopped fighting them, they were able to remove the hammock. They injected a reversal drug and within minutes the elk was back up and grazing on grasses as if nothing had happened.
A couple nights later, what appeared to be the same elk was spotted on the bike path at Gimlet Road, giving those out for a stroll or bike ride a happy reason to pause.
The incident evoked memories of a bull elk who was spotted in Gimlet and Cold Springs with Christmas lights wrapped around his antlers a couple years ago. Fish and Game officers made numerous attempts to catch him and remove the Christmas lights.
A team in southwest Oregon recently rescued an elk tangled in downed power and cable wires. And an Alberta Fish and Wildlife officer lassoed an elk that was trying to buck off hundreds of feet of telecommunications wire so officers could remove the wire. Others have been entangled in hay tarps.
Conservation Officer Brandyn Hurd said it’s not uncommon for bull elk or moose to get entangled in household items during the fall rut. Rutting bulls can become especially active and aggressive during the breeding season. And, during this time, they may thrash their antlers against wires, nets, swing sets and cord.
Entangled wildlife can sometimes asphyxiate, die from exhaustion or injure themselves in efforts to free themselves.
“Residents should be aware of things that can entangle in elk or moose antlers and store them in a safe place if there is the potential of an elk or moose being in their yard,” Hurd added.