Newnan man gored by buck in his own backyard

WSBTV.com News Staff
·2 min read

A man spent eight hours in the emergency room after being gored by a buck in his backyard.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division posted a video to their Facebook page showing the attack that happened in a Newton County neighborhood.

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Neighbors told the Georgia DNR the buck was in the backyard using its antlers to bash around a grill. Residents tried to scare the buck away by yelling at it to frighten it off, but the buck continued to ram the grill.

That’s when the video starts and you can see the man waving a broom at the buck as an attempt to scare him off, but instead the buck rams towards him and the man is gored. The DNR said this tactic would have normally worked, but because the buck had been illegally hand-raised, the buck had no fear of humans.

The man received stitches to his forearm is expected to recover.

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Georgia DNR warned that while the buck was well known in the neighborhood and had shown no previous issues with residents in the area, as the buck continues to get older, its testosterone will kick in.

“As testosterone levels rise, antlers mineralize and harden and bucks increase their sparring frequency and intensity to establish dominance and breeding rights. In the wild, deer ensure their distance from humans. Once that fear of people has dissipated, however, an aggressive, testosterone filled buck can become extremely dangerous. Unfortunately, we see situations such as this occur every year,” the department said on Facebook.

If you observe tame or pet deer, you’re asked to contact the Law Enforcement Division - Georgia DNR Ranger Hotline at 1-800-241-4113. While you may hesitate to call due to the potential for the animal to be euthanized, please know that you are doing the right thing, wildlife officials said. It reduces the risk of human injury, improper care and treatment of the animal, and disease transmission.

Officials also state that while humans have good intentions in providing care for a wild animal, it is illegal to keep wild deer as pets in the state of Georgia and it usually results in an early death or life in captivity.

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