Game warden helps untangle deer

In November, Thermopolis Game Warden Benge Brown responded to a call from a landowner on Owl Creek regarding two deer that were hooked together by the antlers, one of which was dead.

On the way to his call, Brown also contacted Disease Biologist Eric Maichak. At the scene, Brown observed one of the deer appeared to have died from exhaustion. He noted there were no puncture marks on the dead animal, and in situations where deer become entangled they can sometimes fight so hard they overheat.

Brown further noted the rut, or breeding season, has started so bucks are fighting for mates. Entangled antlers are not common, but it does happen. In his 26 years as a game warden - nearly 12 of them in Thermopolis - Brown has only seen it one other time, though that incident involved two deer that were entangled by baling twine.

Upon approaching the deer in this recent incident, Brown said he threw a rope that got tangled in the antlers, then a couple more half hitches on the deer. The one still standing came down and he got on top of it. Maichak than came in and cut off the live deer's antlers. Brown noted there's always a chance that a deer might come after them after it's free rather than running into the wild, and sawing the antlers off helps prevent serious injury.

Unfortunately, it does put the buck at a serious disadvantage in its next rumble.