The PAANG deer feed of late 50s

[dirtysidedown430]

Anyone member the aerial hay drop done by the pgh air guard. They were flying C119s at the time. For some reason the game comm was finding all kinds dead deer that starved too death. Was a big news thing at the time must have been a really bad winter in the mountains.

[JohnB]

Sounds like the well known Operation Hay Drop that took place in the western U.S. in the late 40s or early 50s.
Then, C-47s, C-82s/C-119s were used. I recall my father mentions taking part, I don't know when, but I know he flew C-82s circa 1948, but it could have been later when he occasionally flew C-47s.

I did come across a mention of such tragic accident that occurred, it seems a rancher tending his stock was killed by a falling hay bale in Idaho.

Has anyone seen the Hollywood film Operation Hay Drop? From what I understand, it's a semi-documentary like the better known Montgomery Clift film The Big Lift.

I would suspect many ANG units did similar sorties during bad winters.
You might contact PA ANG HQ, and ask their PA staff to check with the unit historian.

[Larry Kraus]

I saw this movie on television about 40 years ago. The actual operation is reportedly credited by the governor of Nevada at the time with saving 300,000 head of cattle which would have otherwise died of starvation. I found a clip from the movie on YouTube and have added a link below.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Haylift

https://youtu.be/uBbLZwXLjyA

The actual dropping of hay to cattle and sheep during this severe blizzard in 1949 appears to have covered several western states. On the YouTube page above is a link to stock footage of Utah Air Guard C-47’s in a similar hay drop operation and the link below to another video covers another similar operation during the same period.

http://www.military.com/video/forces/na ... 4742282001

I located a description of how extensive, severe and prolonged the blizzard conditions were in the western states in early 1949.

https://www.weather.gov/unr/1949-01

Deer and elk were also included in Oregon during what turns out to be a very extensive Operation Haylift in 1949. Pretty impressive use of resources.

http://www.142fw.ang.af.mil/News/Featur ... lift-1949/

[Dan K]

Even today, whenever the good taxpayers of Pennsylvania impact a deer, they shout,

"Thank you, PAANG!"

[JohnB]

That's not gonna buff out!

Larry K...Thanks for the correction on the film title.

[Kyleb]

It would be more appropriate if that was a cougar, not a charger...

[JohnB]

It's a Challenger....so you can say the deer met a challenge...and lost.

[Dan K]

I would say the victim has that deer-in-the-headlights look...

[JohnB]

I would say the victim has that deer-in-the-headlights look...

[PinecastleAAF]

He couldn't dodge the challenger.

[Dan K]

He couldn't dodge the challenger.

The original "Dodge ram"...