On September 30, a woman was attacked by a mule deer buck in southeast Idaho and was severely injured. She was rescued by a man, who was also injured, and his teenage daughter. I saw this press release from the Idaho Fish and Game Department yesterday, but didn’t think it was worth your time. These things happen, occassionally.

However, the story has been picked up by the Washington Post, Forbes and other major news outlets (which are all picking up the same Associated Press story). It has the potential to be one of those media-created issues (the New Year’s Eve blackbird “Aflockalypse” comes to mind), so you, as a state wildlife biologist, should know about it before you start getting phone calls. (And yes, I write that knowing that I am part of the media.)

Photo: Not guilty. These mule deer were photographed in California by Tupper Ansel Blake, and appear courtesy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service for illustrative purposes. They didn’t attack anyone (that we know of).