Deer Rescue On Buck Lake

Jeff Green | Jan 31, 2024

Jeff and Mary Bumstead are quite new to Buck Lake, and have been enjoying the peace and quiet that comes with the lakeside lifestyle.

On January 23rd, they had a first-hand experience of how fire and rescue works in their township.

“We noticed a small deer sitting still on the lake. We watched for about an hour and she did not move. Then we saw her trying to get up again and again to no avail. It was not clear if her leg was broken or if she just couldn’t get her footing,” said Mary Bumstead.

They called the South Frontenac Township office but it was closed because it was a Saturday, and tried some other numbers as well. Finally they called the Sandy Pines Rescue Centre and left a message. Sue Meech called back soon after.

“We got a fabulous call back from Sue at Sandy Pines. She was very supportive and helped us out a great deal.”

On Sue’s advice, Mary then called 911, and that triggered a response from the fire department.

“To our amazement, a team of fire trucks arrived, and volunteers in pickup trucks. They all donned water gear and pulled out an inflatable U-boat. They had a crew leader on shore telling them how to navigate the ice safely, and they made their way over to the deer. The communication was amazing. They knew just what to do,” said Mary.

It turned out that the deer did not have an injured or broken leg, it was just unable to get up because it had fallen through the snow and was stuck on the ice.

Two members of the crew wrapped the deer in a blanket, picked it up and carried it to the shore, where they left it to recover.

It took another hour for the deer to fully recover its composure.

“We were watching it the whole time, wondering what it was going to do. Then it picked itself up and walked off into the woods.”

The fire department is using the opportunity to let the community know that the ice on township lakes remains very precarious.