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Deer in head lights
By Nicole Chillino
Nothing says “happy holidays” like a deer strung with lights.
At least that might have been what a buck passing through Palmer Lake may have thought when he inadvertently strung his rack with the lights at the intersection of Douglas Road and Hilltop Drive.
Town water works operator Jeremie Dunda found the buck and called town public works maintenance worker Miles Reed to have him take pictures.
“When I walked up on him he was just laying down and he let me get within about 10 feet of him,” Reed said.
It is fairly common for deer to get their antlers caught in Christmas lights and other objects when the lights are hanging off trees, shrubs and other plants, said Michael Seraphin, public information officer for the southeast region of the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
This time of year bucks rub their antlers against plants because they are trying to get the last of the velvet and other residual matter off their antlers as they compete for mates, he said. He suggests limiting decorations to hard structures, like homes, and in natural areas above where deer can reach.
Other objects that can become deer ornaments include hammocks, barbed wire and swing sets, Seraphin said.
If a deer gets caught up in something that is concerning, call the Division of Wildlife at 719-227-5200 and do not try to untangle the animal, he said, adding the person and the deer could be injured if the person attempts to do this on his or her own. If there is an emergency and the office is closed, the division can be contacted through the Colorado State Patrol.
The division will conduct an assessment over the phone to determine what action to take, Seraphin said. If the object is restricting the animal’s movement, wrapped around its muzzle or if it is dangling and could become entangled in its legs, a wildlife officer will need to come to help the animal.
On the other hand, if the animal looks like it can still eat and move, there is no need for alarm, but observe the animal over the next few days to make sure it does not have any difficulty with the object, he advised. He added the buck’s antlers will eventually fall off, leaving the object with them.
“In most cases, the best thing is to let nature take it’s course rather than intervene,” Seraphin said.
At least that might have been what a buck passing through Palmer Lake may have thought when he inadvertently strung his rack with the lights at the intersection of Douglas Road and Hilltop Drive.
Town water works operator Jeremie Dunda found the buck and called town public works maintenance worker Miles Reed to have him take pictures.
“When I walked up on him he was just laying down and he let me get within about 10 feet of him,” Reed said.
It is fairly common for deer to get their antlers caught in Christmas lights and other objects when the lights are hanging off trees, shrubs and other plants, said Michael Seraphin, public information officer for the southeast region of the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
This time of year bucks rub their antlers against plants because they are trying to get the last of the velvet and other residual matter off their antlers as they compete for mates, he said. He suggests limiting decorations to hard structures, like homes, and in natural areas above where deer can reach.
Other objects that can become deer ornaments include hammocks, barbed wire and swing sets, Seraphin said.
If a deer gets caught up in something that is concerning, call the Division of Wildlife at 719-227-5200 and do not try to untangle the animal, he said, adding the person and the deer could be injured if the person attempts to do this on his or her own. If there is an emergency and the office is closed, the division can be contacted through the Colorado State Patrol.
The division will conduct an assessment over the phone to determine what action to take, Seraphin said. If the object is restricting the animal’s movement, wrapped around its muzzle or if it is dangling and could become entangled in its legs, a wildlife officer will need to come to help the animal.
On the other hand, if the animal looks like it can still eat and move, there is no need for alarm, but observe the animal over the next few days to make sure it does not have any difficulty with the object, he advised. He added the buck’s antlers will eventually fall off, leaving the object with them.
“In most cases, the best thing is to let nature take it’s course rather than intervene,” Seraphin said.
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