Parksville-Qualicum MLA Adam Walker needed a few stiches after a run-in outside of his home with a buck who was attacking his dog, minutes after Walker helped untangle the buck from a tree. (Submitted/Adam Walker)

By Jordan Davidson

oh deer

‘Holding on for dear life:’ Mid-Island MLA gored by buck while defending family dog

Sep 13, 2023 | 3:19 PM

PARKSVILLE — What started as a rescue mission soon turned into a wrestling match between an agitated buck and a Vancouver Island MLA.

Adam Walker, who represents Parksville-Qualicum provincially for the NDP, was on his way home after dropping his kids off at school on Thursday, Sept. 7 just before 9 a.m. when he came upon a buck on the side of the road whose antlers were caught up in tree branches.

Sensing the animal was in distress, Walker stepped out of his car to help.

“Its antlers were tangled up in a tree, and so I got out of my car and managed to climb into the tree and grab the buck by the antlers and manouevre the rack between the branches and got this animal out, but it was very clear that animal had been in there all night.”

Walker said the exhausted deer was covered in dust and scratches, likely from untold hours trying to free itself from the tree.

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He returned to his vehicle and continued home, noticing the deer had wandered into his neighbour’s yard, and Walker assumed his brief encounter with the animal was over.

But when he pulled into his own driveway, the recently rescued buck was in the rookie MLA’s yard and had his nine-year-old yellow lab Pluto pinned to the gravel with his antlers.

“My dog had no chance to get away. I hopped out of my car, ran up to the deer and grabbed it by its antlers… and picked it up enough that my dog can get away, and my dog did which was great, but then I was standing on the other side holding on to some antlers of a very ornery animal that was still looking to play.”

Walker says the buck was likely over 200 pounds and larger than he was.

He was in a highly vulnerable position.

“And I don’t have any antlers in the front of me either to help in that battle, so the odds were definitely not in my favour,” Walker told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Any attempts to put distance between himself and the buck were met with the animal charging at him, causing punctures to Walker’s leg and shin.

“I was just holding on for dear life screaming for help and I was happy that my neighbour eventually came and was able to get me out of the situation I found myself in.”

Walker went to urgent care in Parksville where he was treated for minor flesh wounds to his legs which required stitches, but managed to avoid any serious wounds.

“My knee on the one side, from my knee down my shin is just one big scab and then just above my kneecap I’ve got a puncture, not sure how far it went into my leg, but far enough that it is still a week later, very unpleasant.”

While he still has a bit of limp Walker is well on his way to a full recovery, is still working, and happy to be back with his family after the harrowing ordeal.

He reminds people it is rutting season for deer, where bucks can be more aggressive as they search for a female companion.

“These animals, they can be a little aggressive. This poor guy obviously was struggling all night in that tree, and I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. He walked away, I walked away, we got lots of deer in this community.”

While Walker’s dog Pluto escaped the buck incident with minor injuries, the golden lab was also battling bone cancer in his mouth, and Walker’s family made the sad decision on Tuesday, Sept. 12 to put the animal down.

“He lived a long life, he was a good dog, he was nine-years-old, and right up to the end there he was a happy, jovial dog. We did the best we could to make sure he had a good life and it was unfortunate that this little incident was right near the end.”

Walker’s yellow lab Pluto had a few wounds on his stomach following the deer attack, but Walker said it didn’t contribute to the decision to put him down less than a week later after a long battle with bone cancer in his mouth. (Submitted/Adam Walker)

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow