Hammock Head, the elk who captured the heart of East Lewis County by becoming a stand-out character in a herd of dozens-to-hundreds of animals, has been freed from the headdress that has defined him for several months.
In late summer and early fall, bull elk battle one another for females, also called cows. They’ll vigorously rub their antlers on trees and shrubs to shed the velvet of their new antlers. Hammock Head, or “Ole’ Hammock Head” as some call him, was likely in this process when he destroyed someone’s hammock — and took some pieces with him. Since about September 2022, he’s worn the hammock around with him.
Because bull elk shed in the spring, biologists and residents thought he’d be able to drop the furniture remains when his antlers fell. But, after his antlers dropped, pieces of the hammock stayed.
This week, officials with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) were able to sedate and free the elk.
On Tuesday, Nicholle Stephens, with WDFW, posted in a Packwood community Facebook group that the task had been completed.
“The capture event went really well and he did great under the anesthesia. The rope was wrapped around his right pedicle (the base from which the antler grows). Since the antler is actively growing this time of year, this area is fleshly and the rope had become imbedded,” Stephens wrote. “There was infected tissue so we treated it with a topical antibiotic. I am optimistic he will heal up okay. It is likely that his antler growth will be stunted on that side. As with every animal that we immobilize, we marked him with a yellow ‘call before consuming’ ear tag.”
She added the tranquilizer used will be out of the elk’s system fully after 30 days, making him safe to consume again at that time for hunters.
The crown Hammock Head wore will be put on display at the White Pass Country Historical Museum.
According to previous reporting by The Chronicle, using aerial surveys, the Puyallup Tribe estimated the South Rainier herd, of which Packwood’s elk are members, had 1,193 total elk in 2022. The Upper Cowlitz River Valley area sub-herds haven’t been counted in recent years, but residents estimate the population is in the low hundreds.
Read The Chronicle’s previous report on Hammock Head here: https://www.chronline.com/stories/elk-dubbed-hammock-head-captures-east-lewis-countys-heart,317244
