An aggressive deer that attacked two hikers last week has the Conservation Officer Service warning the public to stay keep their heads on a swivel and their dogs leashed while on a trail in the Dallas area.
Conservation officer Graydon Bruce said the service received two separate reports in which adult men encountered the doe deer while walking dogs off-leash on a trail near Kokanee Way.
In the first incident, the man reportedly sustained bruises and scratches from the deer.
The second man was unharmed and struck the deer with a walking stick, which forced the animal to back off before it ran the man out of the area, Bruce told KTW.
He said the second person’s dog was injured, but described all injuries as minor in nature, noting no medical attention was sought.
The reports came in between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on July 13, with the service receiving the second report en route to the initial call, Bruce said.
Upon his arrival, Bruce said the deer approached him, but did not attack, nor did it engage with another person walking through the area at the time.
He said the the attacks may have been the result of the deer protecting a nearby fawn and feeling threatened by the dogs, which were a shitzu, which accompanied the first man, and a German shepherd cross breed, which was with the second man.
“The deer was highly stressed when I observed it,” Bruce said.
The Conservation Officer Service closed the trail until July 19.
The COS received a tip from a member of the public who said she had seen a fawn the morning of the attacks, but after an extensive search of the area by conservation on Sunday, neither animal was located and the trail has since been reopened to the public.
Bruce said the hope is the deer has moved on from the area, but the COS is advising anyone using that trail to exercise caution.
“Keep dogs under control and a leash handy, and consider carrying a walking stick,” Bruce said.
