WOODSTOCK, Ga. – Cherokee County firefighters helped rescue a deer and her yearling trapped in a large retention pond near Owens Farm Lane in Hickory Flat on Sunday, Sept. 16.
“The deer were trapped in a large retention pond approximately 50 yards by 50 yards, surrounded by high walls about 16 feet at the lowest point and 30 points at the highest point,” said Shannon Gibbs from Cherokee Fire.
Firefighters were unsure how the deer got trapped in the closure, but they had been there for some time, officials said.
Cherokee Fire rescues two deer from retention pond
Gibbs said crews had to remove a section of fence and placed a roof ladder to gain access to the wall.
“We were able to move down the wall to a built-in ladder near a drain … [firefighters] descended into the pond to attempt to catch the deer ... placed spotters around the perimeter of the pond to help find the animals in the tall reeds and grasses within the pond itself,” Gibbs said.
Cherokee Fire officials were able to move around the perimeter to drive the deer to one of the members in the pond and they were successful in catching the large doe with a catch pole within 15 minutes.
“We were able to calm the animal and placed her in a sheet, and carried her to a corner of the wall for lifting,” Gibbs said. “The doe was a bit thin and looked weak form her time in the pond.”
The doe’s yearling was harder to catch.
Fire crews in the pond helped drive the doe into a corner but it took them “a good 30 minutes” to catch the yearling – eventually tackled by Gibbs, who jumped out and caught the deer in 3 feet of water.
The deer were transferred to animal control and will eventually be released back into a wooded area within Cherokee County, fire officials said.
