"It can't eat, it can't drink, and now going over a week since he was first spotted — and who knows how long before that — he's been without food and water," resident Chris Beauchamp said. "The whole community has kind of chipped in to kind of watch out for this guy and try to get it some help."
DNR officials have said the deer is a male between seven and eight months old and can still survive for some time with the jar on its head, according to WBAL.
"Just because of the nature of their face and their bone structure allows for them to breathe, and deer, even during the colder months, have substantial fat reserves that they can live off of for weeks," Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Paul A. Peditto said.
He added that the deer likely found itself stuck in the jar after searching for a lick of salt inside.
"When they're empty, the salt that's left in them is attractive to deer and other animals. Unfortunately, the heads on these young animals are about the right size for the openings on these containers," he said.
DNR officials said heavy wind in the area and the skittish nature of the group of deer have kept them from getting close enough to pry the deer free.
"Dart guns are highly subject to the wind," Peditto said. "Essentially, the dart would get blown around in the kind of wind we're experiencing. And the outcome of having a poorly placed dart is actually worse than having a deer with a bucket on its head. If you put a dart in the chest cavity of a deer, you're going to kill it."
