PINEDALE, Wyo. — In true cowboy fashion, deputies with the Sublette County Sheriff's Office in Wyoming rescued a deer from an icy pond using a lasso.
Deputy Justin Hays was traveling to Pinedale for training when he spotted a deer around 2 p.m. on Dec. 10 that was struggling to free itself from a pond that had partially iced over, according to a Facebook post from the sheriff's office.
He radioed to dispatch that he was at the pond in the town of Daniel and was joined by fellow deputy Josh Peterson who was on duty at the time.
Peterson activated his body worn camera and captured their efforts to rescue the deer.
Hays and a few other deputies carry ranch ropes, team ropes or lariats in their patrol vehicles, which they use to help get livestock off the roadways, the Facebook post says.
He had two ropes with him at the time and tied one end of the rope off to a tree so he could test the stability of the ice to ensure it would support his weight, as well as Peterson.
The deer attempted to swim away from Hays as he approached it, so Peterson gathered the first rope and went to the opposite end of the open water.
Hays lassoed the deer and dragged it up on to the ice. The deer was exhausted and cold, so Hays carried it over to the asphalt blacktop so it would help warm the deer up.
He drove back by the area after his training that afternoon and the deer was gone.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Feature stories