A foursome of young bucks fell upon some good luck Sunday as they were pulled from the icy waters of Stephens Passage by a group of locals out to enjoy the last few days of recent sunshine. These good Samaritans describe their experience as “one of those defining moments in life.”
A group of four juvenile Sitka black-tailed deer. They swam right toward the boat, then, they started to circle the boat. They were looking up and looked like they needed help.
Four deer swim toward the Satre’s boat Sunday. Once they reached the vessel, Satre said they began to circle the boat and looked obviously distressed.
The typically skittish and absolutely wild animals came willingly and once on the boat, collapsed with exhaustion. They were shivering
Once the group reached the dock, the first to be pulled from the water hopped onto the dock, looked back, then leapt into the waters of the harbor and swam to shore. He quickly disappeared into the forest. Two others followed suit, after a bit of prodding and assistance from the group.
One of the four Sitka black-tailed bucks pulled from the waters of Stephens Passage Sunday is seen being transported via wheelbarrow by Tom Satre after reaching Taku Harbor. Witnesses reported all the deer recovered fully from what appeared to be exhaustion and a bit of hypothermia.
From left: Tom, Anna and Tim Satre help one of the “button” bucks to its feet after they rescued it from Stephens Passage. Four bucks in all were rescued.