Man Has Painful Encounter With Deer In NW Minn.
FERTILE, Minn. (WCCO) — A Fertile, Minn. man got the last word after a deer picked a fight with him last Thursday.
Mark Christianson, 66, says his neighbor first spotted the 8-point buck last week. He says the deer seemed different from others that had wandered into his yard.
"Instead of being scared he'd come towards you," said Christianson.
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Then last week the deer started hanging out on Christianson's farm. He says their seemed to be something wrong with it because it was wheezing.
A few days before the attack Christianson went into his shed and the deer followed. He says the deer looked at him right through the window and then started ramming his horns into the tin walls.
Then, last Thursday, as Christianson walked out of his garage he saw the deer 20 feet away. He was going to simply walk past it, but the deer wanted to fight.
"He walked up towards me and went on his back legs then hammered the heck out of me!" Christianson said. "I was getting hit so hard and so fast that I tackled him."
Christianson says he pulled a reversal move on the deer and grabbed him from behind taking him to the concrete. He was able to break free and went for his rifle inside his house. Christianson's glasses were knocked off during the scuffle and he had blood in his eyes, so he wasn't able to get a clean head shot.
"I got a gut shot," said Christianson. "He ran a little ways across the yard and then I went up to him again and gave him more shots."
The DNR's Detroit Lakes wildlife supervisor told the Associated Press that the deer carcass was sent to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in St. Paul. Disease specialists have ruled out rabies, but continue to check for other diseases.
As for Christianson, he's recovering slowly. He has bruises to his eyes, back of his head, shoulders and arms. He says the first few days after the attack it was difficult for him to lay in bed.
Next time he sees a questionable deer, Christian says he'll "shoot first then ask questions later."
