SANDPOINT - The unusual path that Dory McIsaac walks today didn't wait to be chosen, it strolled into her backyard and proceeded to take over her life.

On the 20 acres that make up her Mystic Farm Wildlife Rescue operation south of Sandpoint, she cares for orphaned and injured moose, elk and deer with a singular intent - getting those animals back into the wild as soon as possible.

McIsaac first became interested in wildlife rescue and release programs while living in Alaska, but it wasn't until she moved to southern Idaho that opportunity knocked at her corral gate. She heard an early morning radio report about an injured baby moose and contacted Idaho Fish & Game to volunteer her help when need arose in the future.

"About a year later, I got a call about an orphaned pair of baby moose," she said. "That's what started it all and it just snowballed from there."

McIsaac nurtured the pair in round-the-clock bottle feedings, watching as Maynard grew stronger and coaxing little Millie to follow his lead. Two weeks later, the baby male was frolicking around her place. The female, however, didn't make it. The following spring, Maynard was released back into the wild, beginning what is now a four-year series of successful animal rescues.

"Mom runs them off in their second spring and I try to emulate that as much as possible," McIsaac said. "I first do a soft release, where I open the gates and they're free to come and go. Then I run them off or transport them when spring comes.

"It's tough to do, but when it's a done deal and they're gone, I feel good about it," she added.

One of the biggest misconceptions, according to McIsaac, is that she is some over-the-top animal lover who tries to turn wild creatures into pets. Quite the opposite, she insisted, pointing out that her goal from the start is to get them healthy and send them on their way. Ironically, the very group that would seem most prone to criticize her efforts is the one that has given her the strongest backing

"My biggest supporters are the sportsmen - they get what I'm doing," said McIsaac, adding that she fully realizes that any released animal "might end up in someone's freezer."

That infuriates some animal lovers, many of whom become highly annoyed when she informs them that, no, they can't bring the family up to Mystic Farm for a hands-on visit with the critters.

"I've had people get upset when I tell them they can't come up and pet the animals - I'm not running a petting zoo," McIsaac said. "I strive to keep the animals from interacting with other people, because that would defeat the whole purpose."

One woman told her off on the phone, arguing that, as a taxpayer, she had every right to bring her grandkids to the farm, capping her point by saying, "we pay your salary." She was surprised to learn that, although Mystic Farm is licensed through Idaho Fish & Game, McIsaac actually receives no funding at all from the state.

"It's all from donations or out-of-pocket," she said. "That's just the way it is."

McIsaac raises money for the rescue and release program through the sale of hand-made candles, cards and prints featuring photos of rescued animals and a separate "sponsor an orphan" fundraiser. Those dollars go to pay for feed, formula and fencing, the latter of which is scheduled for a substantial upgrade during a Mystic Farm volunteer day scheduled for May 7. At that event, the current enclosures will be expanded with new fencing, bottle racks for feeding and solar-powered predator devices to protect the animals in McIsaac's care.

"I'm more concerned about other critters getting in than the little guys getting out," she said. "When we're done, this will be the Taj Mahal of animal enclosures. Because I don't use things like barbed wire or old fence panels, it's really safe."

Since she raised and released that first baby moose back in 2007, Dory McIsaac has done the same for a total of 12 animals. She has received financial support from the Bonner County Sportsman's Association, as well as numerous in-kind donations from groups and individuals. Still, not everyone agrees with her work.

"I have a lot of support, but I also have a lot of opposition," she said. "The main argument is that 'it doesn't work.'

"But I pretty much have a 100 percent success rate," she added. "It does work."

Among the animals that have been rescued were orphaned deer fawns Clementine and Winston. Clementine, who was orphaned when she and her mother were hit on the highway, limped around the enclosure in a cast for a couple of weeks as her broken leg healed. As readers sip their coffee over this story, McIsaac will just have released a young elk she named Shamus at an undisclosed location where she scouted the presence of an elk herd late last week.

"I have to get that little boy up into the mountains and settled with the rest of them, because it's spring and the babies are coming soon," she said.

McIsaac cautions area residents not to be too hasty if they find a baby animal that appears to be abandoned.

"The best thing they can do is not to touch them at all," she explained. "The mamas leave them for long periods of time, but they do come back.

"It's sad, but a lot of them are orphaned because people act too quickly and pick them up," the animal rescuer added. "Once that happens, it's too late."

Although deer rescue programs exist, McIsaac's work with elk and moose is setting a precedent as far as her success rate in returning them to the wild.

"Usually, the protocol has been to put the adults in a facility like a zoo, but a lot of times, the babies are just out down," she said. "I enjoy being able to give these little guys a second chance. It's my passion."

McIsaac said anyone interested in taking part in the May 7 volunteer day work party, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m., should contact her as soon as possible for details.

For information call (208) 241-7081 or visit: www.mystic-farm.com