Deer attacks, seriously injures East Tennessee woman

BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — An East Tennessee woman was seriously injured Monday afternoon while checking her mail after a white-tailed deer attacked her.

According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the woman was checking her mail around 12:40 p.m. when a year-and-a-half old 4-point buck slammed into her back, knocked her down, and began to gore her with its antlers.

TWRA says the woman was able to grab onto the deer’s antlers and three bystanders were able to get the woman away from the deer.

She was taken to Blount County Memorial Hospital, where she was being treated for serious injuries.

TWRA officers located the deer, which was found wearing an orange collar and acting “unnaturally humanized.” TWRA says the deer appeared to have been raised by humans from a young age.

A criminal investigation is ongoing.

TWRA says officers have seen several occasions when white-tail bucks become aggressive, often toward women, when rutting activity begins. Rutting activity is also responsible for the uptick in deer versus vehicle collisions in the fall.