Silver Cliff woman gored by mule deer buck taken to Pueblo hospital for treatment

A woman was taken to a Pueblo hospital after she was attacked and gored by a mule deer buck outside her home Saturday.

The attack happened in Silver Cliff, a small town in Custer County around 55 miles west of Pueblo, where the woman lives. She sustained a puncture wound to her left leg and significant bruising on her other leg, but managed to get back inside her home and call for help, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release.

The woman then went to a Pueblo hospital for treatment.

“A wildlife officer went to investigate and found a bird feeder in the yard,” Mike Brown, area wildlife manager for CPW, said in the release. “The victim told a CPW officer that she feeds birds and had thrown out bread earlier that day.”

Two young bucks were seen sparring in the woman's yard after the attack, a behavior CPW noted is common during mating season. Deer can be more aggressive and territorial during that time, according to CPW.

But there were no recent reports of aggressive deer in Silver Cliff, Brown said. If found, CPW officers will euthanize the deer, which was reported to have a few spikes on each antler.

The attack’s location and its nature triggered concerns for CPW officers that someone fed the deer, causing it to no longer fear people.

Brown said he believes the attack is a “good example of what happens when deer lose their natural fear of humans.”

“They become aggressive and dangerous," Brown said. “This is a good reminder that wild animals should always be treated as such and that people need to give wildlife the space they need. We’re glad this woman wasn’t more seriously injured.”

It is unlawful to feed big-game animals such as deer, elk, mountain lions, and bears, among others, in Colorado. People who do so are subject to a $100 fine.

Feeding deer can “do more harm than good,” said Trina Lynch, district wildlife manager with CPW. Doing so could concentrate them in one area and thus attract mountain lions, a primary predator. CPW officers might then have to euthanize those lions to ensure public safety.

The act could also evoke deer to crowd together in small areas, making it more likely they are chased by dogs, hit by cars, or spread disease, according to CPW.

Furthermore, if deer begin to crowd in those areas, they might stop using their historic ranges. This could leave those ranges open for development, CPW said, causing wildlife to lose the ability to roam them.

During harsh winters, CPW will perform controlled feeding of big-game animals. In every other case, wildlife are better off finding their food naturally, according to the agency.

Though people may suspect deer don’t have enough food during the winter, it’s not helpful to supplement their diets with grain or corn. Giving them non-natural foods could cause nutritional problems or alter their digestive system, the agency said.

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Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado woman gored by mule deer buck treated at Pueblo hospital