Sheriff Scott Strait said the heavy buck happened to find a softspot in the otherwise dry ground. Other animals, and even some of the lighter rescuers, could have set foot in the same spot without any problem, he said. (Photographs by Sandi Fisher) John and Sandi Fisher came across an unlikely scene Sunday, August 29, when they ventured behind their Cedarville home with friends Keith and Sharri Kostecki to show them the Taylor Pit, where sediment from the Les Cheneaux channel dredging project is being dumped. An eightpoint buck was up to its neck in the muck.

It took nearly 45 minutes, between brainstorming and putting their plan into practice, for the rescuers to free the animal.

Mackinac County Sheriff Scott Strait and his son, Jacob, and father-in-law, Richard Lehn, were the first to arrive after the Fishers called for help. They were followed by deputy Tom Sherlund, fireman Stan Kasper, conservation officer Kyle Publiski, and Bob Hasler, who laid sheets of plywood on the surface of the muck so they could reach the deer, wrapped a towing strap around its midsection, and attached a rope to the strap. They started pulling.

At right: Jake Strait, John Fisher, and Kyle Publiski try to put the buck at ease as it is dragged out of its predicament by the other rescuers. (Photographs by Sandi Fisher) Sheriff Strait estimates the buck was pulled 40 to 50 yards to be free of the muck, then it rested on its side for several minutes before bounding off under its own power.

“It was a little beat up, with a little blood,” Mrs. Fisher said. “The animal was very stressed when we first saw it. The rescuers were only able to get ropes around it because it wasn't putting up much of a fight by the time they arrived.”

Sheriff Strait said the accident was a combination of the deer's size and it finding a soft spot in the muck, which usually dries after several days.

“Any other animal could have walked across the surface,” he said.

The men were determined to rescue the animal.

“It was not happy we were messing with it, but it was also exhausted,” Sheriff Strait said of the deer. “It was a beautiful animal. We didn't want to let it die.”