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Hunter comes to rescue of deer stranded in icy water

By Ben Hooper
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Nov. 29 (UPI) -- A Maine hunter became an unlikely savior to a six-point buck he found struggling in the freezing waters of a lake.

Justin Wyman said he was driving Sunday near Flagstaff Lake in Eustis when he spotted a brown object in the water that he initially thought was a floating log.

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Wyman went in for a closer look and discovered the object, which was more than 300 yards offshore, was a six-point buck struggling in the frigid waters.

Wyman said it was a Sunday, when hunting is illegal in Maine, so he decided to help the deer.

Maine Game Warden Pat Egan soon arrived on the scene and Wyman offered up his boat as a rescue vehicle.

Wyman said it took some time to get his boat back into workable condition.

"I had already winterized it," Wyman told WGME-TV. "It was all covered up run the water out of it, run the fuel out of it."

"The biggest challenge was probably getting the boat in the water, we had to break ice, it took us 15-20 minutes to get the boat in the water," Wyman said.

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The rescuers, joined by Game Warden Scott Stevens, then went out into the water to attempt a rescue.

Wyman said it took about 20 to 30 minutes to reach the deer, due to the ice on the lake, and the buck wasn't exactly happy to see them.

"He started to swim away from us. He still had some pep in his step. He was aggravated," Wyman told the Bangor Daily News. "He was roaring and letting out a bunch of noises, grunting. But after a few tries we got some rope around his antlers and I backed all the way back to the boat landing."

The men were able to get a rope around the buck's antlers and tow it to shore.

"He swam the rest of the way," Wyman said. "We didn't drag him. He was actually swimming behind the boat. We went nice and slow."

Wyman said the deer reached shore and was able to walk away after taking some time to rest and dry off.

"If an animal's got a fighting chance and there's something I can do to help make that chance a little bit better, I'm all for it," Wyman said. "Had it been a day earlier and had he been walking in the woods, he'd have been a good candidate. But you kind of have to have that kind of respect for the creature we chase along through the woods."

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