OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR/CNN) – An Oklahoma man had a close encounter with a frisky male deer who was looking for a mate.
It happened to a Shawnee-area pastor who was working in the yard of his church and the whole thing was caught on camera.
Travis Hurst was putting together a bonfire for his church Wednesday night when a buck came out of the woods and straight up to them.
"He gets closer and closer and we're thinking well we might feed him or something," said Hurst.
Then, the deer charges Hurst.
"He stabs my legs and stabs my arms and everything. He's wearing me smooth out and finally I am able to let him go," said Hurst.
After about five minutes, the deer eventually turned around and went back into the woods.
"He got the best of me. I think that he's had some human contact because he wasn't afraid of us at all," said Hurst.
Captain Wade Farrar with the Department of Wildlife says deer are in rut right now, meaning they're frisky and ready to fight.
"He's going to try to act like a big bad deer and if he thinks we are a threat then he's going to treat us just like he would a big buck out in the woods," said Farrar.
He says anytime you come across deer or any wildlife, it's best to leave it alone.
"Never a good idea at all. It's best to contact us and let us take care of it," said Farrar.
Hurst says he learned a few lessons from this experience, hoping to never be in this dangerous position again.
"Not posing a threat to him. I might keep my hands down and I think that doing this caused him to charge me," said Hurst.
Looking back and watching the video, Hurst says he's thankful his injuries aren't worse.
"I've had a lot of people call and check on me, ask me what happened because the video doesn't tell what happened but he's OK and I'm OK and everything's gonna be all right," said Hurst.
The Department of Wildlife hopes to locate the deer and take it somewhere remote and away from people.
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