Post by Debbie on Dec 5, 2013 16:42:25 GMT -1
We're having very cold weather for the Oregon coast. It actually got down to -6*C last night, so I got up very early this morning to feed the ponies and check on everyone. All cozy and happy in the barn, and the 4 outside were split, with 2 next to the barn and 2 in the kiddie paddock. I was going for my own breakfast and had already removed my hat and boots when I looked up and spotted the elk herd of 40 moving through the main field 
No! Tossed on hat and boots and tried shouting at them. They flowed down to the end of the field, but then they seemed to get stuck. They milled about and looked at me, but then seemed confused as to what they wanted to do.
I stepped outside and grabbed the lids from two old pressure cookers to bang together. I haven't picked up an air horn and I don't have bells so I reckoned banging the lids together would add omph to my request to leg it. I walked across the main field banging the lids and alternately telling them to 'git!'. The elk responded by huddling and moving in a cluster to the fenceline, but refused to jump it. They seemed stuck and looking at me and then something entirely else and the entirely else was winning.
I'm going to pause here, Roosevelt elk are immensely huge and I keep a good distance between myself and them, but they've also eaten down the grass in my fields to almost nothing, so I'm intent on shooing them off to keep what little grass I have left for the horses.
So I glanced around and there is an access road that runs through the main field and then a dip down to the creek where there is a thick blackberry patch. Down there was 'something' black. Black bear? It seemed odd. The bears in our area aren't keen on being seen by humans, they don't tend to go for the elk, and it seemed odd for a bear to stalk elk. Wolf? Seemed more likely. I'd heard coyotes just the night before too, so I took my lids, and walked by the elk herd in a straight line for the 'thing'. Then I thought it better to simply shoo the elk herd the other direction. They happily complied, unfortunately they were panicky in their run, and wiped out my fence to the kiddie paddock yet again
"JUMP!!!" I shouted at them and surprisingly the last ones actually set themselves up for a better jump over the fencing.
I turned back to the 'thing' and kept walking towards it. Then it moved and I could finally understand what I was looking at. It was a massive bull elk laying down in the grass and draped from one of his antlers was what appeared to be an enormous black garbage bag. The poor guy looked tired and although he wasn't hurt, he simply lay there staring at me.
As I said I'm not completely stupid. This was one of the biggest bulls I've seen and has to have one of the biggest set of antlers I've ever seen. I slowly walked off and simply told him I'd get him help. I paused to collect the horses into the paddock by the barn and managed to wave down a fellow who works at the gravel place. He used his binoculars and could clearly see the bull. He thought perhaps it was a bit of the black stuff they lay down to help prevent the soil erosion around the creeks. I asked if he could see if the elk could get it off himself. The wind was lofting it around when I was looking and I worried it would wrap around the elk's eyes. He said no, that it looked like it was wrapped around the bull's neck instead. Well that's not any better!
I asked if he had the number for the Dept of Conservation. Wildlife is completely their domain, and this one needs some help. He doubled back and talked to one of the Conservancy guys who's living on the land next to ours. I'm sure he'll be able to co ordinate getting help for the bull. So the ball's out of my court for now and with luck, the old feller will get his problem sorted so he can get back to important stuff like eating my grass.
No! Tossed on hat and boots and tried shouting at them. They flowed down to the end of the field, but then they seemed to get stuck. They milled about and looked at me, but then seemed confused as to what they wanted to do. I stepped outside and grabbed the lids from two old pressure cookers to bang together. I haven't picked up an air horn and I don't have bells so I reckoned banging the lids together would add omph to my request to leg it. I walked across the main field banging the lids and alternately telling them to 'git!'. The elk responded by huddling and moving in a cluster to the fenceline, but refused to jump it. They seemed stuck and looking at me and then something entirely else and the entirely else was winning.
I'm going to pause here, Roosevelt elk are immensely huge and I keep a good distance between myself and them, but they've also eaten down the grass in my fields to almost nothing, so I'm intent on shooing them off to keep what little grass I have left for the horses.
So I glanced around and there is an access road that runs through the main field and then a dip down to the creek where there is a thick blackberry patch. Down there was 'something' black. Black bear? It seemed odd. The bears in our area aren't keen on being seen by humans, they don't tend to go for the elk, and it seemed odd for a bear to stalk elk. Wolf? Seemed more likely. I'd heard coyotes just the night before too, so I took my lids, and walked by the elk herd in a straight line for the 'thing'. Then I thought it better to simply shoo the elk herd the other direction. They happily complied, unfortunately they were panicky in their run, and wiped out my fence to the kiddie paddock yet again
"JUMP!!!" I shouted at them and surprisingly the last ones actually set themselves up for a better jump over the fencing. I turned back to the 'thing' and kept walking towards it. Then it moved and I could finally understand what I was looking at. It was a massive bull elk laying down in the grass and draped from one of his antlers was what appeared to be an enormous black garbage bag. The poor guy looked tired and although he wasn't hurt, he simply lay there staring at me.
As I said I'm not completely stupid. This was one of the biggest bulls I've seen and has to have one of the biggest set of antlers I've ever seen. I slowly walked off and simply told him I'd get him help. I paused to collect the horses into the paddock by the barn and managed to wave down a fellow who works at the gravel place. He used his binoculars and could clearly see the bull. He thought perhaps it was a bit of the black stuff they lay down to help prevent the soil erosion around the creeks. I asked if he could see if the elk could get it off himself. The wind was lofting it around when I was looking and I worried it would wrap around the elk's eyes. He said no, that it looked like it was wrapped around the bull's neck instead. Well that's not any better!
I asked if he had the number for the Dept of Conservation. Wildlife is completely their domain, and this one needs some help. He doubled back and talked to one of the Conservancy guys who's living on the land next to ours. I'm sure he'll be able to co ordinate getting help for the bull. So the ball's out of my court for now and with luck, the old feller will get his problem sorted so he can get back to important stuff like eating my grass.
good lord..your definately not going to get bored Debbie X 
we do have an abundance of wildlife that loves to get up close! Just tonight I saw 'my' Great Blue heron winging in to tuck in for the night. I also have 2 red tailed hawks that love to do a fly by when they come to roost and a murder of crows that hang around the house. That's not counting the mink and the adorable ground squirrel that came to live in the barn last year. I rather hope she survives, she's a real character, but with the hawks, coyotes and mink, I don't know how long ground squirrels will live. 
everyone's convinced they simply would have killed the elk. I sincerely hope not! At least, I haven't heard a gunshot, so I hope he's gotten the thing off his antlers. I couldn't just leave him like that though. The bag looked hopelessly stuck and he seemed so very tired. 
I remember in the '70s how we had so very, very few bald eagles left due to the whole DDT fiasco and how they managed to slowly fight their way back from the bring of extinction. I'm gutted that the wind companies will be allowed to kill them (they've already admited to 67 dead eagles and environmentalists are concerned that number was played down) for 10 years. I'm fearful the eagle populations will be wiped out yet again, and personally our own wind turbines do not produce the energy that was promised. I don't feel it's a good exchange. I'd rather keep our ecosystems.