How's this for an environmental fairy tale: a hunter, trekking through the woods, loses track of a herd of elk when it goes over a hill. He does, however, see an elk calf, caught in a fence. The hunter untangles the calf from the fence and sets it free, saving it's life.
The story is true, and the hero is senior Eric Rich.
Rich is an avid hunter since age 12.
On Oct. 18, Rich was hunting with family friend Mark Schlep, following a herd of elk over a hill when he saw a baby elk caught in a barbed wire fence.
"We couldn't catch up with the herd, but I still smelled elk," explained Rich. "I turned around and saw a baby elk hanging upside down with two legs caught in the barbed wire fence."
"I sat on it's head and we pried the barbed wire apart," said Rich. "When it got out, we pushed it away so it wouldn't hurt us, and it ran away."
So, was Rich's lifesaving move a random act of kindness, an unexpected moment of tenderness?
"Honestly, if the calf died, I would have used my tag on it," said Rich. "I would rather use it on a bull."