ALTO, Mich. — Two very fortunate deer have a group of Alto, Michigan neighbors to thank for the fact that they are alive.
Mark Johnson spotted the deer Wednesday in a farm field: two rutting eight-point bucks whose antlers were tangled. It is a precarious situation for the deer.
“They can’t break apart, so they either die from exhaustion or starvation or sometimes even coyotes would come in and do it,” Johnson said.
Johnson called his friend Brad Lyons, who came out with ropes. Neighbor Randy Wilcox brought a tree limb saw.
“When Mark called and said they’re stuck together, I’m coming. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You don’t see that all the time,” Lyons said.
The deer wanted nothing to do with the gang as they tried to corral them, and the animals soon fell into a creek.
“Getting them in the creek was the best thing that could have happened,” said Wilcox.
When the deer flopped onto their backs, Lyons cut the antlers apart using the tree limb saw, allowing the deer to go free.
Lyons’ wife, Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons, captured the event on video.
Firearms deer season begins in a week and the three men are all hunters. But in this situation, instead of deer meat and a full rack, a chunk of antler is now a prized trophy.