Elderly Man (80) Says Wrestling With Feisty Deer Was A Mistake

[matcom]

<snip>

The hunt is on for a feisty mule deer buck that charged and pummeled an elderly man near Cameron on Monday morning before it was distracted by the sight of its own reflection.

Novikoff had several previous run-ins with the buck this summer, he said Tuesday in a telephone interview, but this time the deer snuck up on him in the driveway.

"I tried to get inside the house, but he charged me before I could," he said. "I wrestled with him, which was a mistake -- I'm 80 years old, he's only about 2 or 3."

The buck knocked Novikoff over and pummeled him with its front hooves for more than five minutes. Novikoff suffered a broken rib, bruises and scratches on his torso, hands and head.

Novikoff feared the deer was going to kill him. He called for help, but his wife was inside the house and didn't hear him.

Eventually the deer noticed its own reflection in Novikoff's shiny SUV parked nearby and was intrigued.

That gave Novikoff enough time to open the garage door and get inside, he said.

"Thank God I had the car cleaned a couple of weeks ago," Novikoff said. "If he hadn't gotten interested in looking at himself, I don't think I would have made it."

At that point, Novikoff shot the deer six times with a .22-caliber rifle and it ran off.

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2004/08/11/news/01deerkicksmanbzbigs.txt

[bearfan454]

1. Very odd behavior for this time of year

They are usually still in their bachelor groups in Summer.

[MuseRider]

5. Yes

what's up with that? We used to have loads of deer (before the woods were torn out and the gated community put up) and I have been chased onto my porch by rutting deer but never did we even worry about that until about November.

[GOPisEvil]

2. The deer's pissed that the guy drives an SUV.

:D

[Xithras]

3. He shot it with a .22?

That probably just pissed it off even more. If he didn't have a gun capable of dropping the deer, he should have called the sheriff or game warden so they could take it down. Now instead of having to deal with an angry, psychotic deer with anti-human issues, they have to deal with an angry, injured, & psychotic deer with anti-human issues. I just hope they find it before it stumbles across someones kid.

[underpants]

4. Several run-ins???

:wow:

[Sequoia]

6. There's been a lot of strange animal stories lately....

Deer, bears, mountain lions....something is up in the animal kingdom.