A year and a half old buck was trapped in Charleston’s Limestone Brook on Jan. 23. A local resident discovered the deer about one kilometre from his home and called the Department of Natural Resources. Members from the Queens District were able to pull the deer from the icy waters.
Deer rescued from brook after coyote scare
When a Charleston resident discovered a deer trapped in the river due to ice, he took the proper steps to save the young buck.
Anthony Grear spotted the deer just before 3 p.m. in Limestone Brook on Jan. 23.
“When we got there, Doctor Bill MacDonald, a local vet from Bridgewater was there doing stuff for Anthony’s animals,” said Department of Natural Resources Queens District Wildlife Technician, Jamie Brown. “The four of us went down to the brook.”
After assessing the situation, Brown and Forest Technician Peter Colp decided it was safe enough to attempt a rescue.
They had no success at lassoing the deer from shore.
“There just happened to be an old rowboat sitting beside the brook,” explained Brown, which they dug out and pushed onto the ice.
Once the rope was around the deer, they pulled the year and a half old buck to safety.
By 4:30 p.m. they had the buck out of the water.
Brown speculates a pack of coyotes, which Grear heard earlier that morning pushed the deer onto the ice.
Although exhausted, Brown said, “The deer is alive and well.”
There are two messages Brown would like people to be aware of.
In this case, he said it was safe enough for humans to rescue the deer, but not all cases end up that way.
Secondly, it is important in any situation like this to automatically call the Department of Natural Resources, he said.
They are trained to deal with wildlife and do not want to see someone get hurt, added Brown.
by Leanne Delong/The Advance 
View all pictures
