A seven-point buck spent more than a day on the ice of Tichigan Lake in Wisconsin.
Every time he inched across the ice, his legs kicked out from underneath him and he landed with them splayed out and akimbo to his body. It was nerve-wracking to watch.
Our affiliates FOX6 in Wisconsin reported that the rescue efforts of the The Tichigan Volunteer Fire Department and Department of Natural Resources finally paid off, although the mission was challenging--dangerous even--because of thin ice.
First, crews deployed a boat with a mud motor, but the ice was too thick. Then, they tried using an amphibious vehicle called an Argo in the hopes of driving past the deer, breaking the ice, and allowing the deer to swim to shore — but that failed.
Eventually, authorities drove to the other side of the lake and trudged out into the water in an attempt to evaluate the buck from a better angle, when they discovered that the deer appeared to be uninjured.
All efforts were suspended for the night on Wednesday.
Finally, on Thursday the fire department tried a new approach. they brought a sled out onto the ice and tied the a rope around the buck's neck.
He surrendered to the crew, seemingly aware of the mission at hand, and also likely exhausted. The firemen pulled the deer slowly across the ice until they were close to shore.
Then they held its horns, cut the rope and let him loose.
He didn't seem injured. "“We pulled him the last few feet to the shore, make sure he could stand up and then the deer loped off,” said Bob Zortman, with the fire department.
You can read more on FOX6 by click here: http://fox6now.com/2012/11/29/deer-rescued-from-ice-on-tichigan-lake-now-secure/
