A hawkeyed wildlife officer has saved the life of a jousting deer with one crack shot to the antlers.
Alberta fish and wildlife officer Mike Little has been credited for his marksmanship after two deer became hopelessly entangled by their antlers, just north of Whitecourt.
It’s believed the two bucks had been fighting when their antlers locked.
Incredible footage obtained by CTV News shows Little attend the scene and make the decision to separate the animals quickly.
“I decided to basically shoot the antler off the deer, to break it so it could be free,” he told CTV.
“And that’s what I did and it actually worked out pretty well.”
Little used a shotgun for the extremely difficult shot, just yards from the animals’ heads.
One of the deer was discovered to have a broken neck and had to be put down, while the other survived.
Brendan Cox, spokesman for Alberta’s Fish and Wildlife service, said there is a very good chance that both deer would have died if the officer had not intervened.
“The antler is a hard target, especially when the deer is up and moving,” he said.
Retired wildlife officer Greg Gilbertson came across the scene on the edge of a farmer’s field and called for help.
“You have to shoot very carefully, that’s for sure, because the animal may move,” he said.
Weeks later images from a trail camera showed the surviving deer doing fine, with its antler expected to grow back.
Little added: “It feels pretty good knowing that he’s out there today, living his life.”
--- With a report from CTV Edmonton’s Bill Fortier
