On Christmas Day, 12 elk were freezing to death in the Kettle River located south of Barstow in Ferry County.
Six of these elks didn’t make it; however, the other six survived thanks to more than two dozen men and women who gave up on their Christmas Eve to rescue them from the frozen water.
Jeff Stuart and Jordan Fish, brothers-in-law, were out coyote hunting at approximately 7 am on the 24th of December 2021 when they spotted cows and calves that had fallen through the ice and ended up trapped.
Around 40 elk stood on the far side of the river and would either cross successfully or they didn’t do it when they saw what happened to the other 12.
Whole Family Comes Out to Help Out the Trapped Elk
Stuart called his wife, Rylee, and let her know that he was going to look for a rope in Barstow so that he can go out onto the ice and try and pull out the elks.
Rylee thought this was a bad idea because her husband is a stocky man who’s not very light and she thought that he wouldn’t do good on the ice. She actually found the idea terrible!
However, Stuart’s husband and brother-in-law soon realized that the ice was too thin so they went back home for kayaks. The rescue party increased fast and Rylee also went to the river with her mom and five children.
By the end of the day, there were more than two dozen people helping out with the elk, covering them in blankets, and warming them up by a fire.
How Did the Rescue Go?
The rescue mission wasn’t easy at all. The rescuers had to walk on top of the ice, often with one foot in a kayak in case they fall.
Some of the elk were stuck in a rectangular hole in the ice and were trying to haul themselves out, but didn’t succeed. Some of them experienced gashes on their bodies caused by the ice or by kicking each other.
To get them out, the rescuers looped ropes around their heads, making sure it’s not too tight and they don’t strangle them. They pulled out the first elk by hand, but this was very tiring so the second one was pulled out with a winch which they attached to a Toyota 4Runner.
According to Staci Lehman, communications director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s eastern region, water rescues are very dangerous and these people did great, but one needs to be extremely cautious around water.
Lehman notes that this is why they usually tell people to avoid doing anything until an official is on the scene. The rescue mission lasted until 8 pm. Four calves and two cows died whereas four cows and two calves made it.
One of the elks was memorable, said the rescuers. This calf couldn’t stand so they covered it with blankets and placed it near the fire and moved its legs. For hours, it seemed like she wouldn’t make it, but, she eventually got up and started walking on her own.
They named her Lucky.
The rescuers cried and laughed with the elks. None of them thought they would spend Christmas Even rescuing elks, but it was an amazing experience for all of them.
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