Buck deer gores man

CLINTONDALE - Pennsylvania Game Commission officials are investigating the apparently unprovoked attack by a male white-tailed deer on two residents that occurred Nov. 15, in Clintondale in Clinton County. The incident began when a woman attempted to go into her backyard to feed cats. A buck that was standing at her back door would not let her out of the house. Alerted to the situation, a man exited the house to attempt to chase the deer away and, without warning, the buck repeatedly charged and gored him. The woman contacted the Pennsylvania State Police Lamar Barracks at 7:40 a.m., and Corporal Todd A. Brian and Trooper Stephen E. Wilcox immediately responded to the scene, finding the deer attacking the woman, who had entered the backyard in an attempt to chase the deer away from attacking the man. Unable to get a clean shot at the deer, Brian grabbed the deer by its antlers and wrestled it away from the woman, and then both officers fired shots to put it down. A state game commission officer took possession of the carcass for transport to Dr. Walter Cottrell, Game Commission wildlife veterinarian headquartered at Penn State University, where a full necropsy of the animal will be conducted. “While this appears to be a healthy deer, we have taken samples of the deer to conduct various tests for any sign of disease,” Cottrell said. Each year, the agency receives reports of one or two deer infected with rabies, to which all mammals are susceptible. Another cause, according to Packard, is that deer are in the midst of the rut, which is the fall mating season, and for whatever reason, the buck chose to spar with these people.