Posted on 10/20/2005 10:04:16 AM PDT by SmithL
RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. - A man died after being attacked by a 6-foot-tall deer that he encountered in his back yard, officials said.
Ron Dudek stumbled onto the deer Sept. 25 when he went outside to pick tomatoes. The buck struck him in the face, ripping a hole in his cheek and ramming an antler into his mouth.
Dudek, the 73-year-old president of an electric company, died Monday of his injuries. The Medical Examiners Office said an autopsy revealed that the deer's blow caused a blood clot that went to his lungs and killed him.
"This was a startled deer that tried to get out any way it can and ended up hooking the victim," said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the state Department of Fish and Game.
The deer will be killed when it is found, he said.
Some neighbors said the buck that gored Dudek had become increasingly bold in recent weeks. While other deer run when people approach, this one stood his ground, they said.
Dudek's widow, Joanne, said she and her husband of 54 years never feed the deer that came into their yard, which offers a panoramic view of a river canyon about 17 miles northwest of San Diego.
"He was my life," she said, looking out on the canyon.
The attack on Dudek was the third violent deer encounter reported in California during the last four weeks, Martarano said.
On Sept. 29, a deer pinned a man against his house and bit a chunk out of his wife's arm in Mendocino County in Northern California.
On Oct. 11, a deer killed one dog and attacked three others in Orinda, near Oakland.
But deer attacks are rare nationwide, said Larry Hawkins, a legislative and public affairs officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
A deer killed a 5-year-old boy in 1977 at Yosemite National Park, he said.
I saw two bucks here in Pittsburgh last week going at each other in a very small wooded area right next to a city street. Their racks were locked tight together and they were dragging each other around. Looks like the rut is in full swing here and it's best to give those critters a wide path. They are nuts when the hormones kick in.
Too many beers knocked me over once.
In the PacNW, a 6 point would be a 12 point in some Eastern states. (counting one side vs both sides of the rack)
I think there needs to be a UN delegation sent out to the bush and to come up with ISO standards.
One thing is certain. No matter how you count the rack, the deer gets bigger and bigger in the tavern after the hunt.
Reminds me of some women I've known over the years. They usually start decorating the house, sadly.
Lightweight!
Well, I don't think it was 6 feet tall, maybe 6 feet long. But these are muleys out here - likely a "blacktail".
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