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Last updated on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
(JENNINGS COUNTY) - Family members say a Jennings County man is fortunate to have survived after a deer attacked him.
Samuel Combest, 60, owns several deer. They are kept inside a pen behind his Jennings County home.
Dee Ponsler, Combest's daughter received a call from her father around 10 a.m. Saturday.
She says her dad was grunting and could hardly talk. He requested help and said "Bucky got me."
Combest said he fed Bucky inside the pen that morning and closed the gate. But the gate came open, so he tried to get the animal back inside. Combest pushed Bucky's antler toward the gate and that is when the deer went after him.
Department of Natural Resource officials say Combest wrestled with the animal and shoved the buck's antlers to the ground. That is when the deer got away from him and used his antlers to put a gash down his leg and puncture his right calf.
DNR Conservation Officer Gary Catron says people need to remember wild animals can be unpredictable and people can not let their guard down.
"These animals can be several hundred pounds and this time of year, a buck that has antlers will use them as a weapon and lunge," Catron says. "It can result in some damaging injuries to people."
DNR says Combest had a license that expired in 2010, but Combest planned to take care of it. DNR will turn the case over to the prosecutor's office, saying Combest could face a misdemeanor for violating his permit.
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