Buck stuck in dead rival’s antlers — then game warden takes risky shot, video shows
_fitted.png "One of the deer was already dead when game wardens in Oklahoma arrived at the scene, officials said.")
A buck was likely doomed to a slow demise after getting caught on a dead rival’s antlers, but a well-placed shotgun blast saved his life, Oklahoma video shows.
The trapped deer were discovered near the town of Haskell on Monday, Jan. 20, and game warden Karlin Bailey arrived to help, Oklahoma Game Wardens said in a Facebook post, sharing video of the rescue.
“One of the bucks had already succumbed to its injuries by the time Warden Bailey arrived,” the post said.
Warning: The video below contains footage that some might find difficult to watch.
The surviving deer couldn’t run away if he tried, not with the literal dead weight of the rival buck caught on his head.
Though bucks are known to get their antlers tangled up during fights on rare occasions, this predicament was particularly challenging — and called for very steady aim, according to wildlife officials.
“Being smaller bucks and the dead one having a hook shaped, broken antler, the heads were close together, making it difficult to shoot off the antlers,” the post said.
Bailey decided the best course was not to shoot for the antlers directly, but the skull of the deer that had already died, “in hopes it would fracture and allow enough movement for release.”
Even with Bailey standing just a few feet away, plenty of things could go wrong, according to officials.
“Any sudden movement from the live buck or a flyer from the buckshot could have possibly ended with two dead deer.”
Bailey fires and the gunshot startles the deer into a frenzy, dragging the other buck around in a circle as it tries to pull away, video shows. But Bailey’s shot was good, and after about 20 seconds of struggling, the buck gets loose and dashes away.
“One well-placed shot broke the skull, and after a little twisting the live buck was able to free itself and keep its antlers,” wildlife officials said.
Haskell is a roughly 35-mile drive southeast from Tulsa.
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Buck stuck in dead rival’s antlers — then game warden takes risky shot, video shows."