Three hunters stage river rescue

Trio goes to aid of group of deer that broke through the ice on Illinois River

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

BY JEFF LAMPE OF THE JOURNAL STAR

BARTONVILLE - A trio of local deer hunters turned into deer saviors Tuesday afternoon in Peoria County. After learning a group of deer broke through ice and was stranded in an Illinois River backwater one-quarter mile south of Mendenhall Road, Gary Thomas and Chad Snyder of Bartonville and Kirk Sorenson of Washington rushed to the rescue.

The trio launched Thomas’s 18-foot-long, 8-foot-wide boat, broke ice and pulled three does out of the frigid water. Snyder said Bartonville police officers also assisted.

Eight other deer had scrambled to safety on their own, including one 10- or 12-point buck Thomas described as “massive.”

Thomas said current and a dropping river level may have contributed to the deer breaking through the ice.

The does at first kicked at their rescuers. But they eventually submitted and flopped wearily to the bottom of Thomas’ plate boat, which is custom made for duck hunting and fitted with three ice breakers.

“I got popped in the jaw once,” Snyder said. “But for the most part they were beat.”

Once the deer were released on shore, two does trotted off south along U.S. Route 24. Snyder and Charlie Blumenshine of Bartonville revived the third, warming her in a van for 45 minutes and then leaving her in a grassy spot out of the wind.

Also on hand for the rescue was Peoria County conservation police officer Scott Avery, who said deer often become stranded in or on ice. In the past three days Avery has responded to two such calls. But rescues are uncommon, he said.

“This was a high visibility area right along Route 24,” Avery said. “Who knows how much it happens where it doesn’t go reported or seen. Sometimes the deer make it, sometimes they don’t.”

Even deer that die are not wasted. Avery had to shoot a stranded doe Sunday in Peoria County after the whitetail broke its leg in the ice. The landowner called Monday with an update.

“He said there were about 12 turkey buzzards on the deer,” Avery said. “Then a couple eagles showed up, scared the buzzards off and started eating.”