DEER ATTACKS

man attacked by deer at Wollaton Park in Nottingham, U.K., from Nottingham Live

In 1999, in Keymar, Maryland, a deer attacked a man who was feeding the animals at a family-owned zoo and gored him numerous times, the Frederick County sheriff's office said. Associated Press reported: Bradley Gerwig, operator of the Deer Haven Mini Zoo, was feeding the animals when a buck attacked him, goring him in the stomach and chest and injuring his head. Gerwig was in an enclosed area when the animal attacked. He was treated at a hospital and released, a family member said last night. The zoo has about 20 deer, as well as bear, large cats and emu. The zoo is licensed by the Maryland Department of Agriculture. [Source: Associated Press, November 17, 1999]

In August 2004, out of the mating season, a buck pummeled Gene Novikoff, 80, near Cameron, Montana. Novikoff suffered a broken rib. "He looked like he was in a bar fight," says warden Marc Glines of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Glines, who killed the deer, says it was "in need of psychoanalysis." [Source: Martin Kasindorf, USA Today, December 1, 2005]

July 2015, Associated Press reported: “Authorities say a 72-year-old bow hunter was hurt in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin where he was attacked by the deer he had wounded with an arrow. Fond du Lac County sheriff's officer Jeff Bonack says the man was taken by ambulance to a hospital. The man was bow hunting shortly before 7:30 p.m. Friday with a crossbow when he wounded the doe with an arrow and went tracking the animal. Bonack says apparently the man was going through thick brush when the doe leaped out and struck him in the leg with her head. The man had been hunting with family members when the attack happened. [Source: Associated Press, January 5, 2015]

Deer Attack Fatalities

In 2003, Donald Sellers, 79, was fatally gored and mauled by his pet buck in Gilbertown, Alabama. In October 2005, “Ron Dudek, 73, of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., died of complications from antler wounds inflicted to his face by a male deer that Dudek encountered when he went to pick tomatoes in his backyard garden. It was the nation's second deer-assault death in two years. ***

man attacked by deer at Wollaton Park in Nottingham, U.K., from Nottingham Live

In 2004, The Telegraph reported: A deer farmer was killed and another man seriously injured by a stag which attacked them during the rutting season. Clifford Colling, 73, is believed to have been gored to death in an enclosure where he kept his herd in Filey, North Yorks. The same animal attacked a farmworker who entered the site looking for Mr Colling because he had failed to return home by 10pm on Monday. His body was discovered when the man, who had head, arm and leg injuries, went back into the enclosure in a vehicle. Mr Colling was pronounced dead at Moor Farm, Hunmanby Gap. A police marksman was called and the stag shot dead. Hugh Rose, technical adviser for the British Deer Society, said: "The problem is that for most of the year, the stags are big gormless lumps you can stroke on the head and feed carrots to," he said. "Then they transform into these mad animals who are trying to kill each other." [Source: Paul Stokes, The Telegraph October 20, 2004]

In the early 2010s, a man in Georgia who kept exotic animals died when he was gored by a red deer, and a man in California was killed after stumbling across a deer while going to pick tomatoes in his garden. In British Columbia in 2011, a man delivering newspapers was slightly injured when he was knocked down and stomped on by a doe. [Source: Marty Klinkenberg, Telegraph-Journal, October 13, 2011]

Deer Attacks in 2005

In late 2005 there were a number of deer attacks in the western United States. Martin Kasindorf wrote in USA Today: “Deer are charging at people, causing injury and even death from thrusting antlers and pummeling hooves. Wildlife officials warn that getting close to deer is not a game. In a rash of incidents, aggressive deer have caused one death and several serious injuries. "People think of deer as Bambi, cute and cuddly, but they can be extremely dangerous in certain circumstances," says Steve Martarano, spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game. [Source: Martin Kasindorf, USA Today, December 1, 2005 ***]

“Karen Morris, 56, of Clearlake, Calif., was hospitalized for 12 days with head injuries in an attack by a young buck Nov. 17 outside her home. The horns bruised Clifford Morris, 68, when he came to his wife's aid. In Covelo, Calif., on Sept. 29, Arnold and Jeannine Bloom returned to their pickup after watering a friend's vegetable garden. A small buck ran up to the truck and knocked the man on his back, California Department of Fish and Game warden Rusty Boccaleoni says. When Jeannine Bloom swung at the animal with a piece of firewood, it turned upon her and ripped a hole in her arm. The next day, Boccaleoni shot and killed the animal. Game wardens shot five bucks on the streets of Helena, Mont., after the deer threatened staffers at a day care center and a teenager delivering newspapers. ***

“Kurt VerCauteren, a biologist at the National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colo., blames most of the trouble on the edginess of male deer during the fall mating season. And as suburban homes encroach on deer habitat, deer that are fed by admiring humans — or that browse on lawns and garden vegetables — lose their natural fear of people, VerCauteren says. ***

“In mating season, bucks sometimes wander into big-city downtowns and get into trouble. Arriving for work at the Minnesota state Capitol on Nov. 3, Gov. Tim Pawlenty heard shattering glass and was nearly bowled over in the parking lot by a buck bounding away from two windows it had broken. The California Department of Fish and Game in October issued a reminder not to feed deer — it is a misdemeanor here — and to "deer-proof" property. Aside from maintaining fences, homeowners can spray plants with deer repellent, VerCauteren says. The mating season for much of the country ended in November but extends to January in Florida. Problems could crop up again in spring, when does are protecting fawns, says Craig Stowers, coordinator of the California state deer program. The family of California deer victims Karen and Clifford Morris is reacting good-naturedly to ribbing from incredulous neighbors. "It puts a whole new spin on (the country song) Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer," says Tammy Black, the couple's daughter.” ***

Rabid Deer Attacks Woman Outside a Liquor Store

In July 2014, CBS6 reported from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania: “A deer attacked a paint store manager after she tried to take a photo of the animal standing outside a liquor store. Rachel McGough said she spotted the doe when she arrived to open the store, KDKA reports. “There was a deer standing outside the liquor store,” McGough said. “Thought that was pretty funny, so I took a picture of it. And it started to charge me.” As she tried to back away, she said the doe began pushing her and she tried to fend off the animal. “Oh my God! This deer is going to kill me,” she said. “I had a couple of bags with me that I shoved at it trying to get away. One of the bags got looped around its neck, which allowed me to get a couple feet away.” [Source: CBS6, July 10, 2014]

“Two Good Samaritans hanging out at McDonald’s, had watched the deer cross the parking lot and then come over to McGough, ran over and tackled the deer. “Lucky the guys were there just in time to get the deer off of me,” McGough said. “If it wasn’t for them, I could gotten hurt. A hoof in the face or in my eye.” The men tied the doe up, which died before the Pennsylvania Game Commission arrived. “There had to be something wrong. Its head was scabbed over and it was foaming green from its mouth,” McGough said.

Wildlife Conservation Officer Mike Papinchak later said the deer tested positive for rabies. McGough said she was not bitten or scratched by the doe, but that one of the men who came to her rescue did receive some scratches. Papinchak said that it is not as common for deer to get rabies as some other animals, but said that there was no reason people need to be concerned about what happened.

Canadian Man Dies in Deer Attack

In October 2011, wildlife officials killed a herd of 11 deer kept by a man in northern New Brunswick, Canada after one of them attacked and killed the man. Marty Klinkenberg wrote in the Telegraph-Journal, “An autopsy showed that Donald Dube, 55, died of multiple internal injuries, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Marc Violette. The victim had been trampled by an eight-point buck and stabbed with its antlers. Violette estimates that the deer weighed between 200 and 250 pounds. The incident occurred when Dube went to feed the herd, which he kept in an enclosure behind his home off Route 17 between Saint-Leonard and Saint-Quentin. Violette said the animals appeared to be white-tailed deer.[Source: Marty Klinkenberg, Telegraph-Journal, October 13, 2011]

Anne Bull, a spokeswoman for New Brunswick’s Department of Natural Resources, said the deer were euthanized at the family’s request. The province allows certain species to be kept in captivity for meat or hunting purposes — elk, red deer and fallow deer — but not white-tailed deer.

Violette said officers called to the scene on Sunday night said it looked as if the victim and the deer had been in a struggle. He was missing a boot and sock when found. “It looked like a situation where the victim was attacked and then the animal kept on top of him,” Violette said. Attacks by deer are extremely rare, but when they do occur most often it is during the fall mating season. “No doubt about it, the deer [involved in the attack] was in rut,” Violette said.

The circumstances surrounding Dube’s death were so unusual that it has attracted attention from media outlets as far away as Africa. “A buck is a very strong animal and they can become more aggressive when they are in rut, but I find it extremely unusual,” said Gerry Parker, an author and former wildlife officer in New Brunswick. “If it happened out in the wild, I would find that highly suspicious. “But in a pen, in confined quarters, strange things could happen.” Mark Drew, a farmer in New Limerick, Maine, who raises 1,000 deer a year primarily for breeding purposes, said: “When the rut comes in, you have to keep an eye on the males,” he said. “They almost look at you like a rival.”

Deer-Related Injuries in Nara, Japan Reach Record High

In 2019, Japan Today reported: The number of people who were injured in deer-related incidents in Nara Park was 209 over a one month period in early in the year — a record high. Nara prefectural authorities are urging people to be careful when feeding deer with rice crackers and other food so as not to provoke the animals. [Source: Japan Today, Feb. 7, 2019]

The number of people injured by being kicked or bitten by deer was 209 at the end of January, which surpasses 186, the number of people who were injured throughout the whole period of 2018. Fuji TV reported. Five foreign tourists were among those injured. Of the number, eight people suffered serious injuries, including broken bones.

Usually, the most injuries occur from September to November, during the mating season when the deer become more aggressive. The park has set up an information center that advises tourists in several languages on how to treat the deer. Patrols are also making the rounds around the park every day.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated May 2025