DENVER — A young buck mule deer gored a 63-year-old woman near Florissant on Monday after she apparently called to the animal in an attempt to pet him.
A motorist came to the aid of Joan Nutt by driving up to the house and honking his horn to scare the buck away, said Michael Seraphin, a spokesman for the Division of Wildlife.
Wildlife officials fear someone had been feeding the deer, which wasn’t afraid of humans. The deer was euthanized.
Nutt was treated at Pikes Peak Regional Medical Center in Woodland Park. The deer’s antlers and hooves left cuts on her elbow and lower arm, in addition to minor wounds on her hands, upper leg, stomach and hip. She was released from the hospital after surgeons placed a pin in one of her arms, Seraphin said.
A news release from the Division of Wildlife detailed what happened:
Nutt was visiting her sister’s home when she called to the deer, which came closer, lowered his head and charged the woman. She grabbed one of the deer’s antlers in an attempt to fend him off, but he knocked her down before she could escape.
The passing motorist and his passenger saw what was happening and were able to scare the animal away, then contact the Teller County Sheriff’s Office.