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Michigan Officials Rescue Deer from Lake Superior via Hovercraft

Stranded deer rescued from Lake Superior in unique way.

This is the season for icy rescues of deer, elk and moose. But one of the latest deer ice rescues out of Michigan is a little more unique than most.

A doe and her fawn were rescued from an iced-over Lake Superior channel via hovercraft! The unique rescue happened last Sunday in Munising and it took an hour to 90 minutes for Alger County Sheriff's office and Michigan DNR officials to complete the odd rescue.

"They were exhausted when we got out there," Alger County Undersheriff Steve Blank told Mlive.com.

The animals had also fallen through the ice. "They were in the water for quite some time, and got back up on the ice. They were so worn out, they walked alongside the hovercraft."

Usually the Sheriff uses the hovercraft to help rescue people who are stuck on the ice or to assist other agencies.

After their long ordeal in the water, it initially appeared there may be more trouble waiting on the shore for the deer. "Had we not gone out there, there were some predators waiting, too," Blank told Mlive.com. "We had couple people, including the retired sheriff, who saw a couple coyotes over there. But when the hovercraft went over, they ran back."

The rescue crews had to warm the two deer up with blankets and heating packs once back on shore. They apparently recovered and ran off because both were gone when officials checked back later.

The dead of winter seems to be prime time for officials to be rescuing deer that have become stranded on the ice. In similar fashion to this rescue, wildlife officials also scared off some waiting coyotes when pulling a doe off a frozen river in Connecticut last week.

Keep it here at Wide Open Spaces as we bring you the latest on dramatic deer rescues this winter.

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NEXT: THIS SKILLFUL RESCUE OF A DOE ON ICE WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH, SMILE AND MAYBE APPLAUD