A video emerged Thursday of three men in eastern Ohio freeing a distressed deer they found caught on a rope by its antlers and swinging like a pendulum.
The deer swung back and forth in a bid to break free from the rope hanging from a tree in a wooded area in the village of Glenmont – and the men had to exercise great caution to avoid being hit by the desperate animal, the video, published by Storyful, showed.
“Josh, go over here, I’ll go over here,” one of the men could be heard saying, as they positioned themselves and figured out how to free the deer.
There were several missed chances to seize the deer and cut it loose, with one of the men narrowly escaping being kicked in the face by the disquieted deer as it bucked.
Eventually one of them seized the deer from behind and another fished out a knife with which he then slashed the rope. The deer, freed, belted its way across the wood, through a small body of water, and out of sight.
“Dude, wow,” goes one of the men, relieved. (RELATED: Video Shows Deer Rampaging Through Restaurant As Diners Scramble To Clear The Way)
Three Ohio men sprang into action and rescued a distressed deer with its antlers stuck in a rope. The deer was jumping and swinging back and forth in an attempt to free itself until the men intervened. pic.twitter.com/wMPhaL0DQ6
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) November 4, 2023
“We seen [sic] the deer swinging in the air. At first we thought we were just seeing things, then we approach the deer and it was speeding back and forth,” Stephen Baldridge, one of the men, told Storyful, per the summary accompanying the video. “My brother Josh Baldridge was waiting for the perfect time to grab the deer to set it free because that’s what’s right, to give animals the same chance hunters have,” he added.
Josh Baldridge “found the perfect moment to trap the deer” so it could be set free, Baldridge further told, Storyful.
The deer appeared to be a white-tailed deer. The species, commonly called whitetail and commonly seen in places from wildlife parks to the backyards of residents across Ohio, is arguably Ohio’s best-known wildlife species.