LOON LAKE, Wash. — Stevens County Fire District One crews rescued a stranded deer from the ice at Loon Lake Tuesday morning after neighbors spotted the struggling animal.
The yearling deer was discovered from shore on the frozen lake, unable to gain traction after recent cold weather caused area lakes to freeze over.
“It was yearling deer about 200 feet or so off of our property on ice, struggling, trying to get up,” said Ginger Poleschook, who lives near the lake. “And it was making no progress.”
Poleschook and her husband Dan called Fish and Wildlife officials. Stevens County Fire District One rescue crews responded using new ice rescue procedures involving a firefighter in a specialized cold-weather flotation suit.
“They came with two fire trucks and they’re doing a new ice rescue routine,” Poleschook said. “One person suited up in like, a wetsuit for cold weather and flotation and went out.”
The rescue proved challenging as the deer became nervous when the firefighter approached. After multiple attempts with a lasso, the firefighter secured the animal.
“When he reached the deer had a big lasso so that he could put around the deer, and the deer jumped through it. So he had to do it twice, and he wasn’t able to really secure. The deer was struggling, so he laid on it,” Poleschook explained. “And the crew then on shore use the rope that the fireman had holding on to the deer and himself. So they just kept pulling and pulled the firefighter in with the deer.”
Crews warmed the deer before releasing it back into the forest, away from the hazardous ice.
“It’s just amazing how rapid it was. They’re very efficient with their rescue,” Ginger Poleschook said.
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