Deer goes trick-or-treating

Elizabeth Laatsch had to reassure the operator her call was no Halloween prank.

A deer came through her backyard Friday with a pumpkin stuck on its head.

At least, it looked like a pumpkin to the South Middleton Township woman.

“It sounds very far-fetched,” says Laatsch, who moved into the Stonehedge Drive house with husband, Jerry, about a month ago. Her husband was on the back porch about 11:15 a.m. when something walked through the yard.

“He did not know what it was at first,” Laatsch says. “He called out to me.”

She looked outside and saw the deer moving slowly, unable to see where it was going.

The animal disappeared into a wooded area and gully. Forty-five minutes later, the deer meandered back and Laatsch took its picture.

Third call in 3 days

Concerned for its welfare, she called the Pennsylvania Game Commission and found out she was the third person to report the animal in as many days.

The first call came on Wednesday, says Eric Horsh, wildlife conservation officer for Cumberland County. And Horsh came within 20 yards of capturing the deer in the vicinity of Rockledge Drive and Old School Road in South Middleton.

The deer seems to have a large brown or gold plastic ball stuck on its head — a lawn ornament or possibly a Halloween decoration, Horsh says.

“From the size, it may be a yearling.” He adds, “I’ve never seen anything like it” in five years as a wildlife conservation officer.

The second sighting was Thursday behind East Gate apartment complex. Again, Horsh responded, with no luck.

Every report is within the same general area behind Kmart along Walnut Bottom Road.

Can’t eat or drink

While the deer appeared healthy, Horsh is concerned about its ability to eat or drink with the ball over its head. A healthy deer could survive without water for up to a week.

Horsh suspects the deer came across the ball, poked its head in to investigate, but could not pull out.

He hopes to get close enough to grab or rope the deer. A tranquilizer gun is not an option since the drug would make the deer unfit for human consumption for up to 30 days should it be harvested legally during hunting season.

Upon receiving the call from Laatsch Friday, Horsh followed the deer until its tracks intermingled with those of other deer.

Horsh is the only conservation officer on duty and it can take up to 45 minutes to reach the area of the sighting. By that time, the animal has moved on.

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