Missed salvage oppurtunity!!! Hanford Bull

[dvolmer]

Got a call from a co-worker telling me a 6x6 bull had been hit on highway 240 on the way to work and was lying on the side of the road.  I was just leaving to work so I threw in my knives, tarp, and some game bags and headed that way.  Just as I was arriving the car that was 10 or so ahead of me pulled over and claimed the beast!!!!  Missed it by 30 seconds!  Bummer!  I'm going to try and post the pictures but having trouble.

[syoungs]

That's like my dream!
I keep a kill kit handy in the rig, and a day of ptb on standby, just in case 

[dvolmer]

The guy that got it said he got one last years in roughly the same spot.  The bull was hit sometime in the night and was there for 4-5 hours before being claimed.  Many of my co-workers saw the bull and drove right on by.  I missed it by 30 seconds!   I shouldn't have stopped off to get a pop on the way to work!!!  One of your only chances to ever get a nice set of velvet elk antlers!!

[92xj]

Roughly by the last field?

[syoungs]

I've been working a 4am start, when I started it I was sure I would have full freezers of salvage by now lol.

[92xj]

I've been working a 4am start, when I started it I was sure I would have full freezers of salvage by now lol.

When I drove that way for 3 years, ending last year, I would have to slow/avoid the group of 5-9 bulls at least 3 times a month spring through mid summer.  I'd always be passing by 10 minutes after sunup when they would be heading to the desert to bed for the day from eating the fresh green. Sadly (luckily) I got moved to an office in town, no more of those drives for now

[dvolmer]

Roughly by the last field?

Yes.  Passed the Richland dump and on the right side of the road about 1/2 mile before you get to the Snively dirt road turn off.  Look close on your way home today and you can tell where he was hit by the blood on the roadway.  I think it might have been a semi that went over the top of him but not sure.  I have a buddy on the tropical shift and he drove out at 2;30 am and saw the fresh blood on the road but didn't see the elk in the dark.  I figure he was hit sometime around midnight to 2 am.  It was in the low 70's or high 60's from the time he was hit until he was recovered so I figured he would still be good at 5;30 am.  He had a broken back leg at the knee joint but other than that all I could see was some good road rash.

[huntnfmly]

Bummer
As Maxwell smart always said  "missed it by that much"😆

[syoungs]

Roughly by the last field?

Yes.  Passed the Richland dump and on the right side of the road about 1/2 mile before you get to the Snively dirt road turn off.  Look close on your way home today and you can tell where he was hit by the blood on the roadway.  I think it might have been a semi that went over the top of him but not sure.  I have a buddy on the tropical shift and he drove out at 2;30 am and saw the fresh blood on the road but didn't see the elk in the dark.  I figure he was hit sometime around midnight to 2 am.  It was in the low 70's or high 60's from the time he was hit until he was recovered so I figured he would still be good at 5;30 am.  He had a broken back leg at the knee joint but other than that all I could see was some good road rash.

Dang, I must have not been paying attention this am!

[dvolmer]

Roughly by the last field?

Yes.  Passed the Richland dump and on the right side of the road about 1/2 mile before you get to the Snively dirt road turn off.  Look close on your way home today and you can tell where he was hit by the blood on the roadway.  I think it might have been a semi that went over the top of him but not sure.  I have a buddy on the tropical shift and he drove out at 2;30 am and saw the fresh blood on the road but didn't see the elk in the dark.  I figure he was hit sometime around midnight to 2 am.  It was in the low 70's or high 60's from the time he was hit until he was recovered so I figured he would still be good at 5;30 am.  He had a broken back leg at the knee joint but other than that all I could see was some good road rash.

Dang, I must have not been paying attention this am!

It was yesterday.  not today.

[DeerSkin]

Hey guys I’m the one that got the bull elk yesterday, luckily my brother drives that way to work in the mornings and has found them on the side of the road.And yes this is the second 6pt bull elk we’ve gotten! It’s crazy how lucky we’ve been being able to salvage 2 bull elk back to back years. I’ll post some pictures later

[jennabug]

Serious question. You guys aren't concerned about the rad count on those animals? I had heard (in conversation, no actual data or sources here) sometimes they get pretty high sample numbers on the surveys.  It always makes me wonder what I would do if I had the opportunity.

Congrats DeerSkin!

[syoungs]

Serious question. You guys aren't concerned about the rad count on those animals? I had heard (in conversation, no actual data or sources here) sometimes they get pretty high sample numbers on the surveys.  It always makes me wonder what I would do if I had the opportunity.

Congrats DeerSkin!

Rad count wouldn't worry me much with em. Everyone likes to talk about how the bigs and bunnies department finds glowing animals, but I'd have to see it myself to trust it.

[DeerSkin]

No I’m not concerned about “rad levels” there was actually an HP that came out and checked the elk with a frisker. My brother asked if he had ever found anything on the animals and the guy said he’s been surveying road kill on the Hanford land for 30 years and has never came across a contaminated one. Also these elk cross hwy 240 from Hanford and go on to the ALE  “arid land of ecology” and surrounding private farm lands which you can hunt. We’ve shot multiple elk on these lands. If the State was that concerned about contaminated animals they would have a 12ft fence around the whole Hanford site. So I would say it’s safe to say they are fine for human consumption. We’re still alive haha 😜

[jennabug]

  I'm really glad to hear that. I tried to see if I could find any public reports on it, but nothing was recent. And the only one I found from 2001 said the sampled animal had no contamination in the sample of meat.