Late last week, Fish and Game's McCall office received a flurry of calls about a mule deer doe with a trash can lid stuck on her neck. Sure enough, when staff went to check things out, she was wearing a large, metal lid.
The lid did not appear to be on tightly, and was not affecting her ability to move or eat, so staff waited overnight to give her a chance to pull the lid off on her own. Unfortunately, she was unable to do so, and the calls started again the next morning.
Staff headed out to the scene, near the frisbee golf course in the middle of town. With some assistance from a couple of local residents, Fish and Game staff were able to use a dart gun to sedate the deer. The trash can lid came off easily, and the deer woke up looking no worse for the wear.
With a large town deer herd, Fish and Game staff regularly get calls about deer tangled in various "town things." Staff have removed Christmas lights, hammocks, metal plumbing fixtures, rodent traps, hammocks, and even plastic cups from town deer.
"We know that many Idaho residents who live in close proximity to wildlife value that opportunity, but it comes with some additional responsibilities to keep wildlife wild and out of trouble," said Regional Communications Manager Brian Pearson. "This serves as a good reminder for the public to occasionally check their yards and remove anything that could entangle or attract wildlife."