Hunter's Arrow Safely Removed From Deer's Head

Officials of the Fish and Wildlife captured a deer found with a hunter's arrow embedded in its face in a residential backyard in the Rockaway Township area Saturday and say the animal's prognosis for survival is "excellent," the Daily Record reported.

Animal lover Susan Darrah, who owns the house and the yard where she first spotted the creature, is a big reason for its chance at life, according to the article. Darrah saw the wounded deer and waited three days to see if it would come back to eat the pears and corn she left out as an enticement. The plan worked. Early Saturday morning, the deer and others came, and a Fish and Wildlife representative, alerted to the situation by Darrah, was ready to tranquilize the deer and procure medical treatment for it.

NJ Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Ragonese told the Record that the 5-month-old male deer was anesthetized and biologists removed the arrow. Because the arrow caused no damage to major arteries or organs, they said the animal's chances for recovery are excellent.

The state's bow hunting season runs through mid-winter. Officials said they couldn't speak to whether the deer had been hit accidentally by a hunter or how it ended up with an arrow in its face, the article said.