Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 32

Wyoming Game and Fish Wildlife Disease Biologist Eric Maichak, assisted by volunteer Emmie Gocke, steadies a tranquilized cow elk with a new GPS collar as a reversal drug begins to take effect.
(Photo by Mark Gocke/WGFD)

P

ine needles scratched my periphery as I
descended into the canyon. I stride to cut
off a traversing cow elk that emerged from
the trees. In an instant, the cow stepped into a
small clearing, and I squeezed the trigger. She
crumpled and rolled 20 yards before coming
to a stop. When I came upon the downed elk
it became apparent that my harvest in the
Jackson region had interacted with people
before. Each ear donned an aluminum tag -
they read "DL0615" and "DL0616."

32 | September 2020	

Packing out went quickly. Within two
hours I was pulling the quarters from the
back of my truck. Once the bed was empty I
ran inside, eager to research the cryptic tags. I
searched for keywords like "elk ear tags," "elk
earrings" and "earrings on elk." To my surprise
relevant search results were scarce. All I found
was a forum. I skimmed the comments until
I read one that sent a nauseating sensation
through my body. The person claimed eartagged meat was tainted by tranquilizer drugs
and not fit for human consumption.
As the elk cooled in the garage I became
hot with nerves. I frantically called any and
all numbers I could find for the Wyoming
Game and Fish Department until Kyle Lash,
a game warden in the Jackson region, caught
wind of my desperate investigation. He called,
and in a calming tone, asked for a description
of the tags. I explained the chipped red paint,
inscriptions and shape.
He requested a photo so I snapped a picture and sent it to him. The phone rang, "No
worries, Chris; those are ear tags to monitor
elk distribution," Lash said.
I breathed a sigh of relief, not knowing
my experience in the woods that November
morning was a diminutive interaction within
a century-long wildlife research undertaking
across Wyoming.



Wyoming Wildlife magazine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wyoming Wildlife magazine

Table of contents
Cover
From the director
A couple pennies
Letters to the editor
Opening shot
News
Project profiles
Ask Game and Fish
Case files
In the Field
The terrestrial extra
Elk and Elke
Earrings with info
Still in Love
Wild country dispatch
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Cover
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - From the director
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Table of contents
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - A couple pennies
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Letters to the editor
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Opening shot
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 7
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - News
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 9
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 10
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 11
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 12
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Project profiles
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Ask Game and Fish
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Case files
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - In the Field
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 17
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - The terrestrial extra
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 19
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 20
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 21
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 22
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 23
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Elk and Elke
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 25
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 26
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 27
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 28
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 29
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Earrings with info
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 31
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 32
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 33
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 34
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 35
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 36
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 37
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Still in Love
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 39
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 40
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 41
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 42
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 43
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 44
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 45
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Wild country dispatch
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 47
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 48
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