Back on September 7th, 2017, Deputy Ted Bumstead of the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office noticed a Great Horned Owl trapped in a barbed wire fence while on patrol in the Ashfork area. The deputy approached and saw that a section of its right wing was wrapped completely around all four barbs of the fence.
The deputy, having prior experience handling birds of prey, was able to remove the Owl without further injury. After unwrapping the Owl’s flesh from the barbs, the Deputy confirmed the Owl would need rehabilitation as it would not be able to fly. It should be noted that the Mother Owl (presumably) was nearby in a juniper tree, and flew away after the Fledgling was removed from the fence.
The Owl was delivered to an Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) official in Seligman and was then sent to Liberty Wildlife campus in Phoenix (http://libertywildlife.org/) for treatment and rehabilitation over the next several months.
Once the Owl was nursed back to health, Deputy Bumstead was invited to release the Owl back into the wild by AZGFD personnel. On the morning of December 8, 2017, in a remote area of Seligman, the Great Horned Owl returned to the wild upon release by Deputy Bumstead.