Damage-causing elk caught inside fence

This is the second of a three-part series about controlling problem elk on orchard lands.

A herd or herds of elk were causing problems in orchards south of

Wenatchee in the Stemilt Basin area. Region Two Enforcement Captain Chris Anderson called and asked me to initiate the 2704 Hunt of master hunters as the hunt coordinator.

Enforcement officer Graham Grant is responsible for the area in question and asked me to contact a couple of landowners for information about the situation. I've changed the names of the landowners in this story, as they want to maintain their privacy.

Landowner George pointed out his orchard damage; dead trees which he would need to replant and damaged trees where the leaves were trimmed by elk teeth. The dead trees would need to be replanted and the loss is measured in years before fruit production would begin. Production suffered on the other trees, which were damaged, but not killed.

"These elk need to be punished, so they won't return," George said.

Landowner Steve showed me the southern tip of the problem area, which is the highest point in the landscape and his grandpa's orchard. Grandpa, we will call him Bill, drives his orchard every morning, checking fences for damage.

Steve took me to a spot known as the saddle, a low spot in the steep ridge where elk could pass from one valley to another.

"When we do a drive through the canyons, we need someone stationed here to keep the elk from passing over to the other side," Steve said.

 We started walking the half mile back to the truck when Bill called. Steve talked for a minute, hung up and said Bill found a cow inside the orchard fence.

The two of us picked up the pace and found Bill in his pickup at the edge of the orchard, inside the fence.

"Get in," he said to me, and I settled into the passenger seat.

We drove along the eastern edge of the orchard, looking down the rows as we progressed. At the northeast corner of the field we turned left, and drove along the northern edge. A hundred yards more and Bill stopped suddenly.

"There she is," he said looking straight ahead and stopping the truck.

I got out, loaded my rifle and hesitated. I was faced with a dilemma; I was the hunt coordinator for the 2704 Hunt which was activated the day before. My permit for the hunt was in my pocket, along with my elk tag. The activation of this hunt authorized the taking of five cow elk. It was completely legal for me to take this animal as one of the five.

There was not a regular season in progress in the area of elk damage. The next season would begin on Saturday, Oct. 13. This is the reason for Hunt 2704; a damage hunt to help with specific sites of elk damage on a landowner's property. This would also be a chance for master hunters to show their worth to area landowners, plus demonstrate the value of master hunters as an extra tool for Fish and Wildlife biologists and enforcement officers.

My job as hunt coordinator was to organize and manage hunts on days when the elk needed to be chased out of the area surrounding the orchards. I wanted to assist the other master hunters on the permit list to notch their tag. Thus I was facing my predicament and hesitating as the cow was prancing in a nervous way.

Bill brought me back to the present with a simple sentence.

"If you don't shoot her, she will go through the fence causing me time and money," he said.

He was even smiling as he made the statement, but the message was far more meaningful and powerful.  He was, in fact, saying, "Put up or shut up," or "You said you wanted to help, so help, now's your chance."

My hesitation dissolved and the elk was downed.

"I'll go get Steve," Bill said and he drove off, leaving me with the elk and a Buck Knife.

I notched the tag and attached it to the animal. It had been a few years since shooting an elk and the size was amazing to me, about the size of three to five mule deer.

Over the hill came Bill in his pickup, with Steve and his uncle, Sam, in a flatbed truck, and the hired hand driving a forklift.

This was the way the family acted when one of them or a friend downed an animal. They all pitched in and helped. The animal was repositioned and legs held during the gutting process.

The forklift picked up the animal, after ropes were attached to the legs, and it was placed on the flatbed. I looked into the deep canyon just 100 yards from my position and shook my head. The thought of hauling an elk up from anywhere in the canyon was not a pleasant one.

"You were lucky," Bill said as he shook my hand.

Next week: Master Hunters Ryan Janke, Alton Gaskill and James Hope assist with elk sweep.