Utah Shepherd Gored by Bull Elk, Walks Five Miles for Rescue
OutdoorHub Reporters 09.10.13
Many are amazed by the reliance and determination of a Utah shepherd after the man reportedly walked five miles after being wounded in an encounter with a bull elk. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, 31-year-old Hugo Macha was watching a flock of 1,000 sheep on the La Sal Mountains last Tuesday when he was approached by the elk.
“He got up to get away, and it ran him down,” said Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) officer Dennis Shumway. “It knocked him down and gored him with its antlers. He said he lost consciousness, and when he came back to, the elk was gone.”
When Macha awoke, he discovered that the wounds were significant. He later told DWR officers that he was in a lot of pain throughout the ordeal and it was found after his rescue that the goring had punctured one of Macha’s lungs. Miles away from help, it could have meant a slow death for the shepherd. Fortunately, the way that Macha’s lung was punctured kept it from collapsing altogether. Trying to control his bleeding, Macha stayed near the site of the attack in the hopes that a hunting party would find him. He had seen several hunters in the area and his employer, Mark Hill, owned a guiding and outfitting business in the area.
As night fell, Macha made the decision to return to his trailer and attempt to make a call on his cell phone, which did not get reception. As the clock edged towards 4:00 a.m., Macha knew that no help would be coming. The only chance he had was reaching another shepherd, who was roughly five miles away on uneven terrain.
“This guy was a complete stud,” said conservation officer Jay Shirley, one of the DWR party that eventually rescued him. “He was in a lot of pain. He couldn’t even sit down because it hurt so much, and yet he walked that far. He hadn’t had food or water and no sleep. He was amazing.”
Macha did in fact reach the other shepherd after a six-hour journey across the La Sal Mountains. At about 10:00 a.m., the other man was able to contact a DWR team in the area, which was just about to leave after relocating several mountain goats. The DWR officers then begin to treat Macha on the spot, putting him on an IV drip and applying bandages while waiting for a helicopter.
“He walked up to meet us and his shirt was soaked in blood and it was down his one pant leg,” DWR conservation officer Dennis Shumway said. “He lifted up his shirt and there was fatty tissue hanging out of this wound on his upper right back.”
Macha was then airlifted to a hospital, where he is now recovering.
“He was already worrying about his sheep,” said Mark Hill’s wife Polly, who visited him at the hospital. “It was great to see him. Those guys are like family to us. The doctor said he was lucky because the way the lung was punctured it kept it from collapsing. He might be able to come home Sunday. We will take care of him until he is back on his feet.”
The Hills say they had never heard of elk attacks in the area. Currently there are no plans to capture the bull that gored Macha, but conservation officers say they are on the alert.
“It was a pretty incredible transition from working as a team on the wildlife side to go to the other extreme so rapidly,” Shumway said. “[…] It was great to be there and to be able to help somebody.”
