Deer tricked with ‘hopefully fake’ Halloween decoration stuck in antlers in Colorado
Wildlife officials in Colorado once again reminded residents to limit yard decor that might get caught on wildlife’s antlers — because that’s exactly what keeps happening.
A photo shows the most recent example in Parker, a town in northeast Colorado about 20 miles southeast of Denver. One entire side of a deer’s antlers is completely obstructed by a mass of tangled Halloween decor draped over the deer’s head.
The decoration appears to be a giant spider on a woven web, the photo shows.
“We don’t want spooky season to end either, but please be mindful of your outdoor decorations,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This deer got a trick with a (hopefully) fake spider in Parker.”
We don’t want spooky season to end either, but please be mindful of your outdoor decorations. This deer got a trick with a (hopefully) fake spider in Parker. pic.twitter.com/kzpGAKXCPm
— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) November 2, 2023
Officials did not provide information about what happened with the deer, but it’s just the latest case of yard decor getting caught up in wildlife’s antlers.
Last week, a bull moose showed up in a Canada yard “in costume” — with a mask of mesh-like Halloween decoration similarly stuck over his antlers and covering his eyes.
A TikTok video shows the moose allowing residents to help it get free of the bothersome decoration.
A mule deer buck carried a clunky hammock tangled in his antlers for days in southwest Colorado before wildlife officers could get close enough to try to remove it. When the hammock wouldn’t budge, officers had to cut the deer’s antlers off instead.
Antlered wildlife are out and about in the fall, migrating from summer habitat to winter range, officials said in a recent news release. Their migration also coincides with breeding season, known as the rut, when the animals are seeking out mating opportunities.
“CPW officers respond every year to incidents where antlered animals have become dangerously entangled,” Parks and Wildlife said in a recent news release. “Common hazards include hammocks, holiday decorations, garden items such as tomato cages as well as soccer goals and netting from sports such as tennis and volleyball.”
Bucks are especially prone as they rub their antlers on anything they can to mark their territory and signal their presence to other bucks, officials said. The deer rut peaks in mid-November through December — right when holiday lights and decorations are most common.
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