Wildlife officers seek mule deer buck that gored Colorado woman

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Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers are searching for a deer they say attacked a 67-year-old woman in southern Colorado Saturday night.

Investigators say a bird feeder in the woman's Silver Cliff home likely led to the deer losing fear of humans. The woman's left leg was punctured by the deer right after walking out her front door. Her right leg also sustained considerable bruising, wildlife officers said. She was rushed to a hospital in Pueblo for treatment.

Silver Cliff is about 55 miles west of Pueblo and 150 miles or so south of Denver. It's a rural area in the mountains that sees lots of wildlife, but CPW officers say they had no reports of aggressive deer in the area.

Mike Brown, CPW area wildlife manager in the region, said he suspected the deer was being fed or otherwise eating food it shouldn't have too close to people's homes.

"A wildlife officer went to investigate and found a bird feeder in the yard," said Brown. "The victim told a CPW officer that she feeds birds and had thrown out bread earlier that day."

Brown said he's glad the woman wasn't more seriously injured but said people should be conscious of food sources on their properties and what that can mean to local wildlife.

"I believe this is a good example of what happens when deer lose their natural fear of humans," Brown said. "They become aggressive and dangerous. This is a good reminder that wild animals should always be treated as such and that people need to give wildlife the space they need."

If found, the deer will be euthanized to prevent future attacks on humans, CPW said.