Wisconsin Kayakers Rescue Buck from Underwater Cave
OutdoorHub Reporters 09.08.15
A group of kayakers in Lake Superior found themselves serving as wildlife rescuers after they spotted a whitetail buck trapped inside an underwater cave last month. The deer was found standing in neck-high water inside a series of caves near Meyer Beach and according to wildlife officials, had likely been stranded for about a week.
“You could just—prominent hip bones sticking out. He just looked weak. He was just shaking and shivering because inside the cave the water is freezing,” kayaker Jen Boyd told Fox 21.
Boyd was with her friend Dawn Kerrigan and her son Ricky Kerrigan when they discovered the deer. After watching it for some time, the three realized that the deer was unwilling to come out on its own and needed help.
“I think he recognized that even though I am human, I was trying to help him. Because I talk and do deer calls and later he just calmed down a little,” Kerrigan told CNN.
The kayakers were able to coax the deer to come to the entrance and then assisted it out of the caves. When that was done, they said the deer was swimming fine by its own and even kept pace with their kayaks. The deer was safely returned to land after a short wade.
You can see a video of the deer below.
https://youtu.be/2MWIc4w-5hg
