California Wildlife Officials Remove Hammock from Buck’s Antlers

Wildlife officials have finally freed a buck from a hammock that had been entangled in its antlers for months.

CBS13 first reported on the deer that was roaming the Fair Oaks neighborhood near California’s Lake Natoma back in September.

Gold Country Wildlife Rescue had been tracking the buck with trail cameras. But the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) performed the actual capture. 

David Mollel, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife environmental scientist, was finally able to tranquilize the deer and remove the hammock after months of trying to rescue it. The CDFW removed the buck’s antlers before its release to reduce “any temptation by poachers to kill it.”

Wildlife officials say Fair Oaks residents were feeding the deer illegally, which lured it too close to the hammock and other life-threatening human hazards.

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