I had the pleasure of getting to watch local wildlife conservation officer Doty McDowell sedate and perform a checkup on a bull in Benezette today. The bull being attended to was collared last year (if I recall correctly) as a spike and this year his rack has grown quite well into a 5×5. Upon examination the elk seemed to be in good health, maybe a bit thin, but overall within the normally acceptable ranges for an elk his age.
Having only watched these events from afar until now I was not aware of the methodical and caring manner in which the elk were treated. From a distance you really only see the elk being darted and then what seems to be chaotic dance of people around them. Up close you can see the genuine care these individuals display during the procedure as well as the organized approach they take to ensure both the safety of the animal and the integrity of their work.
I am extremely thankful to the officers involved for allowing me to be so close to the action and I can honestly say it has been a very enlightening experience.
Here are some photos I took.
^^You can see here the dart used to sedate the elk.
^^This is the part freaks me out every time. When the sedation takes effect the elk typically role to their side. It looks in this photo way worse than it is, but still every time I see it I find it unsettling.
^^Here the bull was just starting to actually fade to sleep. The blindfold is there keep him from seeing all the commotion around him and helps to keep him calm.
^^Checking the elks collar and vitals.
^^Double checking the elk prior to waking it.
^^Giving him the shot to wake him up.
^^After the checkup was over the fella popped up and seemed no worse for the ware. The conservation officers stuck around a while to insure he was fine and then proceeded on to look for another elk to work with.
This is really interesting. I love the way the cow just keeps on eating while they work on the bull. Isn’t he a 5 X 5?
There was about 20 standing just behind the herd. They are so tame that they only ran when he dropped, but come running right back. And yes it is a 5X5.
Great photos, glad you were able to see the action up close. I’m trying to figure out were this was done. You mentionrd this was in Benezette, I was up there this past Sunday and he looks a lot like the one I came close to hitting standind in the middle of the road, in the dark, just west of the campgroung on 555. He refused to move and I used the burm to get around him. He seemed to think the road was his, just stood tere broadside looking at me.
This is on Winslow Hill not terribly far from 555 so it is quite possible it was him since they are traveling quite a bit looking for food.
These are great pictures. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing
Nice job Joe, thanks for posting.