HOLDEN, W.Va. — As a rule, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources doesn’t name animals. Typically those in the elk program which are individually identified for research purposes are known for the color and number on their ear tags. But, it might at least be acceptable off the books if one particular bull is called “Lucky” from now own. Because, the fact that he’s even here to be talked about is a stroke of luck.
This particular bull was found by Elk Project Leader Randy Kelly and Wildlife Manager Eric Richmond during February while working to tranquilize various elk to evaluate their health and adjust their radio tracking collars. The evaluation of the bull’s health wasn’t strong when he was discovered.
“We were moving from one bait site to another trying to dart elk and all of the sudden Eric jumped out of the truck and said there was a bull down a hole,” said Kelly.
In near disbelief, Kelly hopped out to assist and couldn’t believe what they witnessed.
“Sure enough a mature bull elk had stepped I guess backward into a surface fracture and had fallen completely into the hole where only his head was sticking out of the ground,” he explained.
Kelly had a team of DNR personnel and volunteers on standby not far away. They were staged and ready to move in to help work up a tranquilized elk. But they found a far different situation when Kelly got on the radio and called for help.
“We had seven or eight guys there. I sedated the elk and even with six or eight of us we couldn’t lift it out physically. We got his front legs out of the hole and that’s as far as we could lift it,” he explained.
Collar tracking data would later reveal the elk had only been in the hole a short period of time, but even by now he was in shock and elk are notorious for not handling stressful situations well. Kelly and the team hooked straps to the elk’s belly and ran the straps up to a high mounted winch on a pickup truck, made just for pulling elk.
“The guys kind of lifted him as I winched him up out of the ground,” Kelly explained.
Kelly treated the elk for some abrasions and adjusted his tracking collar before giving him the reversal medication for the tranquillizer. He was exhausted from trying to work his way out of the hole on his own. Although still sluggish, they left him with a bed of alpalfa hay and monitored his progress from a distance.
“Later that evening about 5:30, telemetry data showed he had gotten up. I went out that evening and he was up moving around. We monitored him for a couple of weeks and he seemed no worse for wear,” he said.
Kelly said the hole appeared to have opened up from an old mine works in the area, but was not on an active mine site. A loal coal company donated a piece of equipment and a crew to come over an fill the hole to keep the elk from falling back into it.
Kelly agreed the chances of the elk’s survival were slim had they not found him when they did. So, if there were names allowed, “Lucky” would probably be appropriate.