Deer With Hammock Stuck On Antlers Rescued After Six Months

A deer that has spent six months with a hammock stuck to his antlers has finally been rescued. Watch a report here:

The buck first became entangled with the hammock near Lake Natoma, California, during the summer.

Since then, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) have been trying to track him down so that they can remove it - and the 'hammock buck' has become somewhat of a local celebrity in the process.

Thankfully, the team was able to locate him just a few days before Christmas. They subsequently tranquilised him and removed his antlers for extra protection from poaching.

The CDFW waited in place for an hour to get the shot and this was the third time they had tried to tranquilise him.

Patrick Foy

Speaking to CBS Sacramento, Captain Patrick Foy of the CDFW said: "People tend to grossly oversimplify the animal-capture process.

"We showed up in the dark and basically ambushed the deer. We were in full camouflage.

"This animal had no idea we were there. My partner got a good dart in the right spot which is generally the major muscle groups.

"We want to make them so that they are not vulnerable to poaching."

Monica Schluer, of Fair Oaks, believed it 'said it a lot about the deer' that he was able to survive for so long with the hammock on his head.

She was there to witness the moment the deer came around from being tranquilised - presumably feeling very bare in the head department.

Monica said: "He kind of looked at us, like 'Hey what's going on here?' Then he got up and ran through the hills. It was great!

"I really felt honoured for just a moment of time I could see and experience part of his life. I really did."

The CDFW said the whole drawn-out ordeal was likely caused by illegal feeding.

In a Facebook post, it said: "This handsome buck was lured too close to a hammock and other life-threatening human hazards by Fair Oaks residents who were feeding it illegally.

"It took weeks to capture the skittish buck to free it from the entanglement."

Topics: US News, Animals

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey