Asher Torbeck may be the only person who can say they shot a white-tailed buck with the help of an emu.
On opening morning of gun season in Gillett, Wisconsin, Torbeck was hunting from a stand about 100 yards from his uncle’s farm. He thought he noticed an animal near the fence line, although it appeared to only have two legs. Not thinking too much of it as deer (even donkeys sometimes) will walk the fence line inside and outside the farm, he continued with his day. Five hours later he heard a rustling in the brush. He wondered what it could be — doe, buck, shooter? — when an emu popped out!
Torbeck texted the farm manager asking if the emu belonged to him and escaped, but the manager said no. The bird began walking around the stand and looked straight up at Torbeck. “I mean those who hunt know your eyes play a lot of tricks on you out there but unless I drank a really skunky old Busch Lite I was pretty sure that was an emu,” said Torbeck. “Luckily I took pics to prove I wasn’t crazy.” Later that night, he and his hunting group went to a local establishment discussing what Torbeck saw in the woods that day. They found out that three emus had escaped a week and a half earlier a few miles from his stand, and Torbeck was given a phone number to text if he should see the bird again.
The next day Torbeck went hunting in another stand close to the one he had been in the previous day. Once again, his new emu companion emerged, watched him for a bit, then plopped down to nap under his tree. Torbeck sent a text to the number he had been given the day before.
At 4 p.m., a small 6-pointer walked toward the stand. Torbeck wondered if the emu was keeping deer away, but clearly not. As the buck got within 15 yards of the stand, the emu woke up and the buck came to a screeching halt with a puzzled look on his face. “I watched them moving their heads around back and forth, for about 10 minutes examining the other trying to figure what in the heck they were!” said Torbeck. The buck turned broadside while still staring at the emu. “At that moment I thought, who else in the world can say they shot a buck while their emu friend ran a distraction for them, so I shot little Bucky.” The gunshot noise didn’t startle the emu too much as she stayed near the stand; she even began tracking the deer alongside Torbeck! The emu watched nearby as he gutted the deer, and then Torbeck headed home with the buck in tow.
Back at camp, Torbeck was communicating with the emu’s owner, asking what he could feed her as he assumed she was probably hungry. The plan was to text the owner in the morning if she was still there and they would get a person with a tranquilizer as they did to recover the other two missing emus.
The next morning Torbeck returned to the same tree. The emu made it through the cold night! “She walked right up to the same tree right at my ladder and looked up for me,” said Torbeck. He texted the owner to work on a recovery plan while the emu began pecking at the pack filled with snacks and pulling it around. The owner wasn’t getting back to him so he decided to work on earning the emu’s trust (selfie time).
After waiting some time with no response from the owner, Torbeck started heading back to his truck. As he walked, the emu followed. Torbeck hopped in his truck and called the owner with no answer. The emu was walking back and forth along the fence of the farm and got about 50 yards from Torbeck in the direction he needed to go. “So, I started my truck and planned to just follow her. As soon as I started my truck she turned and began running as fast as she could right toward me, and I don’t know if you’ve ever seen an emu sprint but holy hell is that a funny sight (Google it!). I turned my truck off, got out and assured her I would not leave without getting her home,” said Torbeck.
Torbeck began driving slowly while the emu followed. Every once in a while she would get too far from the truck and do a goofy sprint to keep up (watch the video above to see!). When they reached the gate by the main road, Torbeck finally heard back from the owner, but she was out of town. She put him in touch with her brother to come help.
The brother was told by the owner that putting a tube sock over the emu’s head would make her go docile, so he tried walking up to her. But she would not let him get within 15 yards. Then Torbeck gave it a shot, slowly walking up to her, wondering he how was going to fit a tube sock over her large head. He thought it may be easier to try to put his orange beanie over her head, so he tried it. The emu started to flail erratically, the hat flew off and she ran 20 yards away. Torbeck had to gain her trust back but eventually was able to get the tube sock over her head. Once again, she began flailing and swinging her head trying to get the sock off, which was not happening. Torbeck looked at the brother and said, “I thought she was supposed to go docile!” He replied, “I thought so too! I don’t know anything about emus!”
Torbeck was concerned the emu might hit her head or run off into the woods with a sock stuck on her head. He told the brother they’d have to go hands on and get her off her feet but be very careful not to hurt her. “We picked her up as gently as we could, which, I don’t know if you’ve ever wrestled a giant angry bird while trying very hard not to hurt it, but it’s an experience,” said Torbeck. They got the emu into the brother’s van successfully and he tried to thank Torbeck. “No need for thanks just get her home as fast as you can so she doesn’t tear up your van or get hurt!” said Torbeck. The emu did appear to calm down once in the car and off she went.
Torbeck’s Facebook post explaining the story eventually was seen by the emu’s owner, and he later learned the emu’s name: Limu.
