Deer dying on early winter ice

It might look like something out of a rodeo, but attempts to wrangle deer trapped on the Miramichi River ice aren't just for fun.

Several deer crossing the river near Sunny Corner haven't been able to make it across because the ice is too slippery.

Assistant resource supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources Richard Kingston said they saw 13 deer trapped on the ice Tuesday and another eight Wednesday morning.

"It's a natural migration there for the deer to go from the north side to the south side," he said.

DNR biologist Eric Sullivan said the deer either get stuck or fall through when they try to cross.

"I know every year it's the same occurrence."

By Wednesday afternoon 11 deer were trapped in the middle of the river.

A few of them seemed relaxed, with little indication they were in trouble.

They rested on the thin ice while three others swam back and forth in an open stretch of water, as if they didn't know what to do next.

The problem became obvious when one of the deer struggled to rise up, its legs splayed out from under it and it crashed back to the ice.

Further up river the limp body of another deer lay across the ice as a sign of what was in store for the rest of them if they couldn't make it to shore.

Kingston said DNR staff tries to rescue the deer if they can and will bring them into shore if the ice is safe enough. "Others we have to dispatch right there."

They put down five deer Tuesday and leave any they can't bring to shore out on the ice, he said. "We have to let nature take its course."

Kingston said when the deer try to stand on the ice, their legs spread apart and tear at the front shoulders because the ice so slippery at this time of year. "It's as smooth as glass."

If the ice is thick enough rescuers go out, jump on the deer and tie their legs so they can't stand up, he said.

"We haul them to shore once they're tied."

Because the ice melted a bit, Kingston said it was too thin for anyone to go out on it.

There were large open patches of water around the deer and along the bank and a steady rain threatened to melt the ice further.

Earlier in the week, the Sunny Corner Fire Department volunteered the use of their ice sled to help the rescuers who were going out in floater suits and dragging a canoe along with them in case they fell through the ice.

Kingston said the deer don't have the same problem later in the winter because snow sticks to the ice and gives the deer more traction. "The deer do cross all winter long."

Sullivan said the deer seem to want to cross the river in Sunny Corner. "It seems to be the same thing every year."

Kingston said they receive calls from the public about the deer and his department does what it can to help.

"It's a sad situation."