Firefighters called out to rescue deer trapped on ice

Clear Lake firefighters worked for hours last week in response to public calls concerning two deer stranded on the ice on Clear Lake.

Firemen Shawn Puttmann, Aaron Forsythe and Tyler Kline dressed in ice rescue suits and cleats and carried ice picks and ropes with them while 

walking approximately 400-yards onto the lake from North Lakeview Drive and 4th Avenue North.  Nearby residents reported that the deer had been out on the ice since 10 a.m.  

The CLFD crew attempted a rescue at 2:30 p.m. and used their rope as a sling which pulled the deer to shore.  The deer had not fallen through the ice, instead they simply could not get their footing on the slick ice.

“Upon arrival, it was determined the deer were in bad shape,” said CLFD Public Information Officer Billy Krefft.   “While both were exhausted, one deer, a yearling was suffering from a broken leg.”

The larger of the two deer, a buck, was treated and released into the wild while the other was dispatched at the scene due to its injuries sustained trying to cross the lake.

“Maybe doing the right thing here? Maybe not,” said Krefft.  “Anytime you have a close encounter with wildlife it doesn’t always go as planned. However, it was determined that we should try to rescue the animals because someone else going out on the ice to do the same thing, without the proper manpower and safety gear in these thin ice and hazardous conditions, could create a real rescue situation and put someone trying to do good in harm’s way. That is why we did what we did.”

During the unusual ice rescue call, - Read More Via e- Edition