"Now believe it or not, we don't necessarily teach recruits in the academy how to rescue drowning deer, but we do teach them how to think on their feet and adapt and improvise when a peculiar situation presents itself," the post said.
Phillips grabbed the buck by its rack and pulled the drowning deer to dry land.
"Now, there is always the possibility of serious injury or worse when trying to rescue a drowning victim and even more so when the victim is a wild animal. But this trooper did an outstanding job!" the state police said.
A photo accompanying the post shows Phillips smiling with the exhausted deer after the rescue.
"We are happy to report that the buck eventually recovered and ran off! He was so exhausted that he hunkered down on the ground for some time before he could regain enough energy to even stand," the Facebook post said.
"The most rewarding thing that we can do as troopers is to save a life, human or animal. And this past Friday, that's just what Trooper Dwayne Phillips did!" police wrote.
