Tangle on deer’s antler not a problem, wildlife expert says

Wildlife officials say people worried about the mule deer buck on the Capitol grounds with something tangled in his antlers shouldn’t.

Chris Healy of the Nevada Department of Wildlife said the material — which looks like part of a tennis net — is only on one antler and isn’t blocking his vision or causing any other problems for the animal.

“In this case, doing nothing is the right approach,” Healy said.

He said if wildlife tried to capture the animal, he could panic and run.

“If he runs into traffic and gets hit by a car, what are they going to say then,” he asked.

He said the buck would eventually scrape the material off of his antlers and should be just fine. Even if it hangs on for a while, he said the deer will lose those antlers in winter.

He said one of his concerns is people getting too close to the animals at this time of year.

“One of the worries is they’re starting to go into rutt,” he said.

He said people need to stay away from the bucks at this time of year because they could get aggressive if they feel like they’re being challenged. He said that means don’t get up close and try to take a selfie.