Deer Rescued from Crystal Lake after Being Surrounded by Foxes

A deer was trapped about a hundred yards off Crystal Lake's South Shore on January 4, 2012.

The ice is so soft on Crystal Lake that it trapped a deer Wednesday afternoon.  There was open water before New Year’s Day.

I saw the McHenry County Animal Control vehicle parked at Gate 21’s Beach parking lot in Lakewood, but it was private citizens who rescued the deer.

Keith Nelson took a boat out onto the melting ice and. then, as the doe tried to escape toward shore at John Burton’s old home at Gate 15, the boat followed.

The deer struggled unsuccessfully to obtain purchase on the melting ice.

You can watch the rescue here on CNN’s web site.

Commentary on the video indicates the doe was really breathing hard as it struggled across the ice.

It had a hard time getting up the little hill, but got a little help from its human friends.

The doe got some help getting up the lake bank from Lakewood residents.

Derek Rauchenberger supplied the photos and the commentary below, which was posted at the CNN web site:

“I live an hour outside of Chicago where the winter has been mild but recently chilled.

“This has put a thin layer of ice over some of the area lakes including Crystal Lake where I came across a stranded deer about 100 yards offshore.

“Some of my neighbors had gathered and we learned that it had been there since early morning when it became encircled by a pack of foxes.

“A nearby woman was able to chase the foxes away from the deer, but the deer was unable to get its footing as it lay sprawled and injured across the ice.

“Local fire department and animal welfare authorities had been called and said they would not be able to provide assistance.

“The predicted afternoon warm-up to 40 degrees would surely determine its fate without a rescue effort.

“As locals gathered to witness the sad plight of the unfortunate deer, we discussed our options.

“We had a small boat, but the ice was too thick to boat and too thin to walk on.

“I called a local fly-fishing friend Keith Nelson who seemed to have been preparing for this moment his entire life.

“He showed up with a fully rubberized suit and 100′ of rope.

“We attached the rope to the boat and he shoved off from shore and approached the deer.

“The closer he got to the deer, the more the deer began to wiggle across the slick ice as it tried to escape his grasp.

The deer has almost made it to Crystal Lake's shore.

“Keith was basically able to scare it back to shore where it shook off the chills and returned to the wild.

“Keith Nelson is our local Deer Hero!

“I am proud to submit this wonderful story of a deer man with rubber suit who was willing to ‘risk his life’ to save an animal.”


Comments

Deer Rescued from Crystal Lake after Being Surrounded by Foxes — 6 Comments

  1. Kudos and cheers to these folks. Derek and Keith just “did what needed to be done.”

    I’d just like to know why animal welfare or the fire department wouldn’t do anything?

    What kind of an excuse will they provide?

  2. Prairie Doc, so what? Roll out the whole public safety system-So you could complain and go on and on about what a waste of resources it would be? Roll out the fire trucks, ambulances, police, why not set up an EMA post, call a helicopter and notify PETA while we’re at it?

    In this day and age, when cities are cutting budgets and services, and we are demanding our cities watch their (our) pennies. I can just see it now, “Sorry Mrs. Smith, but your dear husband’s heart attack will have to wait, our rescue squad is out tending to Bambi, who got herself stuck on an ice flow in the lake…”

    Personally, I’m sick and tired of bleeding hearts pining over some animal over an act of God. Hey, guess what? It’s called the circle of life and they are just animals-there I said it.

  3. It is Ironic the McHenry County Conservation District hires professional hunters annually to “cull” the deer herd, and the Animal Control saves them.

    Deer hunters whom pay for a deer license yet are unsuccessful at shooting a deer are not to happy their taxpayer dollars go to such professional hunters, rather than extending the deer season.

  4. Kudos to the locals for saving the deer!!!

    We need to help the animals as much as possible because we are developing on their land and forcing them to live among us.

    Good hearted people will always help our little friends, while cold blooded people will swerve their cars to hit them or bitch about good people saving an animal.

    People like “really?” need a reality check about the circle of life; when you have a heart attack and are lying on the floor I think people should just tell you that “it’s natural to die from a heart attack”…all we would lose is a hearless person anyhow-there I said it! 🙂

  5. Jim, funny reprieve, I do “enjoy” tree hugging liberals who personify “cute and cuddly” wildlife and honestly believe these creatures are somehow worthy of saving at all costs. I assume you’d be singing the same tune if that was a hungry and enraged 800 lb. black bear on the lake?

    Although I advocate for common sense conversation and preservation-wild animals are just that-nothing more. Your inane ramblings give me the impression of someone who’d dress their little poodle in a sweater before heading out to an Obama rally…

    I’m rather ambivalent about anyone stopping to help an animal-yes, it’s a nice gesture-but I really couldn’t care less. Although I find most people who do, do so with a certain measure of stupidity-but that’s their assumed risk. I can’t begin to recount all the motorists who I’ve seen stop vehicles on the roadway to check some dead rodent-but hey- I guess to you, since their good hearted, it’s all great?

    BTW, I don’t aim for animals, but if it’s a matter of an animal or a human-the animal loses. So, call me heartless and I’ll call you stupid-that’s fair and there I said it!

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