DENVER (KDVR) – Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers were searching for a mule deer buck that attacked a 67-year-old woman outside the door of her home Saturday.
The victim told CPW officers that on Saturday evening, she was attacked by a small buck mule deer after leaving her front door in Silver Cliff, about 75 miles southwest of Colorado Springs. The buck reportedly had two spikes on each antler.
The woman was able to get back into her home and call her husband for help. She suffered from a puncture wound to her left leg and significant bruising on her right leg.
She was taken to a Pueblo hospital for treatment.
CPW said that after the attack, two young bucks were seen sparring in the yard, which is common behavior during mating season.
A wildlife officer found a bird feeder in the yard, and the victim told a CPW officer that she feeds birds and had thrown out bread earlier in the day.
Mike Brown, a CPW area wildlife manager in the region, said there had been no recent reports of aggressive deer in Silver Cliff.
Brown said the nature of the attack and the fact that it happened so close to a home immediately raised concerns that someone had been feeding the deer. This can cause deer to lose their fear of people, which can make them aggressive and dangerous.
"I believe this is a good example of what happens when deer lose their natural fear of humans," Brown said.
If found, the deer will be euthanized to prevent any future attacks on humans.
It is illegal in Colorado to intentionally feed deer and other large wildlife, according to CPW.
