DNR wardens help save bucks with tangled antlers
SAUK COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- DNR Conservation Wardens helped save two bucks who had their antlers tangled earlier this week.
The DNR got a call from a concerned citizen about the bucks Sunday night, February 11. Knowing that it would be a dangerous assignment at night, the wardens decided to wait until Monday morning when the bucks would be tired.
It took the group a while to find the bucks, but once they did they discovered that the bucks still had plenty of energy and were trying to pull apart. One buck was a 10-pointer and the other was a 9-pointer.
DNR wildlife biologists say a locked antler situation can cause exhaustion in the deer and also puts a lot of stress on their muscles including the heart.
DNR officials decided the best course of action would be to shoot each buck with an immobilization chemical dart. Both bucks went down quickly and the group was able to untangle the antlers.
Both bucks were tagged, got up and walked away together.