In the Rockaway Township of New Jersey, Susan Darrah spotted a 5-month-old male deer in her backyard.  However, the Star-Ledger reports that this was no ordinary deer.  He had a hunter’s arrow through his head as he continued to wander the woods.  Darrah called New Jersey Fish and Wildlife, who told her to put out corn to draw the deer into her backyard.  Authorities even staked out the backyard to capture the deer.

Saturday evening, when the small deer wandered into her yard to eat, a member of Fish and Wildlife was able to tranquilize the animal, then follow it into the woods and bring it back into Darrah’s yard.  They removed the arrow, put topical antibiotics on the wound, gave it a shot of antibiotics and then waited for it to wake up. The biologists who performed the procedure stated that the arrow did not damage major arteries or organs and the deer has an excellent prognosis for survival.  Once the deer was able to stand, it walked off into a nearby pasture and took a nap before it headed back into the woods.

The deer has been affectionately nicknamed Steve Martin, after the comedian who was known for a stand-up routine in which he wore a fake arrow through his head.  Sadly, there is no guarantee that Steve the deer will make it through hunting season.  Darrah hopes that his celebrity status will help keep him alive, but knows that he has the same chance as any other deer in the woods this season.

According to its website, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife is a professional environmental agency dedicated to the protection, management and wise use of New Jersey’s fish and wildlife resources. The Division is part of the Natural and Historic Resources Group in the NJ Department of Environmental Protection under the direction of Assistant Commissioner Richard Boornazian.

Around the country, fall is deer hunting season.  Generally, this hunting season involves using archery.  For example, New Hampshire Fish and Game says archery deer hunting season in that state runs from September 15 to December 15.  The Ohio Department of Natural Resources sets further restrictions on deer hunting.  These include limits on the number and types of deer that may be hunted, each requiring separate permits, acceptable hunting hours, requirements for tagging the deer, and allowable weapons around the year.  Deer hunting season by archery in Ohio runs from the end of September to the beginning of February.