Mule Deer Attack
The buck at first walked parallel to Whitney but then he began to close the distance. Panter started to yell and even threw gravel to discourage the attack. But the deer knocked Panter to the ground and started raking her body with his antlers.
Panter tried to play dead but the deer continued to gore her legs. Now feeling she had to fight back Panter grabbed the deer antlers and fought to keep the deer's head away from her own head. Mule Deer Attack,
Around that time Michael Vaughan and his 17-year-old daughter Alexis were driving down the road when Alexis saw the attack. She jumped out of the SUV and started punching the deer. Michael joined in the fray and grabbed the deer by the antlers. Freed from the attack, Panter got into the SUV.
Mule Deer Attack, The deer had now turned its attention to Michael. At the urging of her father, Alexis grabbed a hammer from the vehicle and started striking the deer. Finally the deer stepped back and ran off.
Michael Vaughan and Sue Panter were treated for puncture wounds, scratches, and bruises in Preston and released the same day.
Sue's husband, Scott Panter, said his wife still trying to come to understand what happened.
“She has a difficult time even talking about it,” Panter said. “We are all in shock and cannot believe this happened.”
Panter added, "I am so grateful for the Vaughans. I don’t know how I am going to repay them.”
Michael Vaughan said that he was glad that he and his daughter were at the right place at the right time. “If we hadn’t come up on [Panter] when we did, it could have been so much worse. I don’t think she would have made it.”
Blake Phillips, Regional Conservation Officer for Fish and Game’s southeast region, says that it is not known for certain why this mule deer buck attacked Panter, however behavior like this is typical of deer which have been hand-raised or “tamed” by people. Mule Deer Attack,
Source: kpvi
