In brief: ATVer impaled on antler of dead elk
HUNTING – A bull elk is usually safe to be around once it’s dead. But an Oregon hunter found out otherwise last weekend.
A hunter from Bend, Oregon, was impaled in the back by the antler of an elk as he was dragging it back to camp behind an ATV in the Maury Mountains of Crook County on Saturday, prompting a rescue effort challenged by the steep, rugged and remote terrain, authorities said.
Gary Heeter, 69, was flown by Life Flight helicopter to a hospital in Bend, where a house supervisor told reporters he was in fair condition on Saturday night.
An investigation and witness statements determined Heeter had been dragging the elk back to the hunting camp behind an ATV. Heeter began to drive up a steep hillside, which caused the front end of the ATV to come up. Heeter was impaled by the elk antler as the ATV rolled backward.
Members of Heeter’s hunting party had applied bandages and pressure to control the bleeding until rescuers made their way to the scene.
Heeter was placed on a back board and emergency personnel carried him about a half a mile to the waiting helicopter.
Cross-country use of ATVs and other motorized vehicles is prohibited in most areas of national forests, which limit their travel to designated roads and trails.
Tips sought in deer poaching
WILDLIFE – A mule deer buck was killed illegally and left to waste in Pend Oreille County recently, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and local sportsmen are asking the public for help in solving the case.
The buck was shot on Nov. 1 or 2 near Milepost 3 on Forest Service Road 5015-020 near Cooks Lake and Mystic Lake, said wildlife police officer Severin Erickson.
Erickson said informants with tips can call him at (509) 671-0086, or use the state poaching hotline, (877) 933-9847, or by email at reportpoaching@dfw.wa.gov.
The state offers a $500 reward or hunting special permit bonus points for tips that lead to convictions, he said.
In addition, the Pend Oreille County Sportsman’s Club is offering a $500 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Hangman Creek recreation corridor to be studied
TRAILS – A recreational route along Hangman Creek from the Spokane River to the intersection of Hatch Road and US 195 is being studied with help from a National Park Service program.
The Inland Northwest Trails and Conservation Coalition (INTC) has received a technical assistance grant from the NPS Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program to look into a corridor and recreational and educational opportunities.
“This is conceived as a hybrid trail,” said Lunell Haught, INTC president. It would accommodate multiple uses in some areas, including hiking and biking, and could include a Hangman Creek water trail with put-in and take-out, she added.
“The project would build on some of the restoration currently happening along the creek, as well as provide historical and geological interpretation,” she said.
The effort will begin next year. “It engages six Spokane neighborhoods, the Spokane Tribe of Indians, and multiple agencies,” Haught said.
The concept for a path already is included in the Spokane County Parks Trails Plan, she said.
“This area is a living history book, and thanks to the work of volunteers for the past two years we are ready to take advantage of the groundwork that has been done and move into a more formal planning process.”