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Jody Heavner>ISM Walk & Talk Interviews>Heavner, Jody, Section 1

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Cows are preg-checked every year. If they aren't reproducing they get rid of them. The elk have water buckets but they usually drink from streams and ditches. They don't give them a lot of grain during calving season because it'll make the claves too big. The birthing process is very quick, only about thirty minutes. To cut the antlers, they put the males in a shoot and cut off the antlers with a hand saw and a tourniquet. The antlers are full of blood so it is a messy procedure. They do it very quickly to keep them calm. Antler's don't regrow until the next year. They shed what's left in the spring. Antlers can grow six inches in one day. Herd bulls get to keep their antlers. Territorial instincts are very strong among the bulls and they have been known to kill other bulls. Cows walk the fence when they're getting ready to calve to get away from everybody.