Video: Neighborhood Group Saves Whitetail With Halloween Bucket Stuck on Its Head

A whitetail doe in Lansing, Michigan, is live trapped and then saved — from a stuck Halloween bucket.

Video: Neighborhood Group Saves Whitetail With Halloween Bucket Stuck on Its Head

Each year, young children throughout the country grab Halloween buckets and go door-to-door saying, “Trick or treat!” Depending on the neighborhood and the child’s effort, these plastic buckets are eventually filled with a wide variety of candy.

In the YouTube video below, you’ll see a whitetail in Lansing, Michigan, that neighbors had reported seeing walking through their backyards with a Halloween bucket stuck on its head for about 2 weeks. Evidently the doe came upon the bucket and lowered her head into it to try to eat or smell something. Whatever the case, the bucket became stuck on her head, which then made it impossible for her to feed. If the bucket remained intact, then she would eventually starve.

Good news: A group called South Lyon Murphy Lost Animal Recovery was successful in live trapping the deer on Jan. 22, 2023, then removing the bucket. This info regarding their name and history was found in the “About” section on the group’s Facebook page: “Murphy is the German shepherd that roamed South Lyon after being hit by a car. We now assist in trapping other lost animals and reuniting them with their families.”

Note: Many of the comments on the group’s Facebook page bash the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for not getting involved. In not well-informed on the DNR’s situation in Michigan, so I’ll refrain from offering an opinion. I do know this: Most DNRs don’t have the money or available staff to conduct an involved trap-and-rescue mission like the one shown below to save a single deer. 

The persons involved in this live trapping/rescue mission know their business. The net is triggered by a remote, and the group members, which were hiding in a few locations, immediately run toward the deer. They take great care in not hurting the doe, while at the same time understanding the danger of being kicked by one of her legs or hooves.



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