September 16th, 2011
09:43 PM ET

Man, son save fawn in middle of bay

Dave Falkenburg didn’t catch any fish in Michigan’s Wild Foul Bay on a recent excursion, but he’s happy with what he says he did grab from the water: A 65-pound fawn.

Falkenburg and his 13-year-old son, Justin, say video taken with the boy’s cell phone shows them rescuing the juvenile deer well away from shore on Sunday. They say they found it while driving their motorboat in the water about 45 miles northeast of Saginaw.

“My son thought it was a seagull or something,” Falkenburg told CNN of the moment they saw something bobbing in the water. “And I said no, I think it’s a deer.”

Falkenburg told CNN affiliate WNEM that it appeared the fawn was struggling to survive. The video, which the pair posted to YouTube, shows the boat approaching the water-treading fawn, and then Falkenburg grabbing the animal by the neck with the intention of keeping its head above water.

“We both decided that we needed to act, and needed to act fast,” Falkenburg, of Caseville, told CNN.

After Justin drove for a while with his dad holding the deer’s head, Dave Falkenburg eventually put the deer into the boat.

Thirty-five minutes after they found the animal, they were close enough to shore to put it into shallow water. Video shows the fawn walking toward land.

Falkenburg said deer regularly swim from a peninsula out to an island.

Mary Detloff, spokeswoman for the state Department of Natural Resources, said no DNR personnel were involved. She said she had no reason to doubt the story.

“I wouldn’t put it past the people of Michigan trying to save a deer,” she said.

Falkenburg said it didn’t matter to him that he didn’t catch any fish on the trip.

"We caught the best catch of the day," he said.

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Filed under: Animals • Deer • Michigan
soundoff (101 Responses)
  1. pilihP

    And fernace? If I thought for even one second that I ...after making sure 'sandy pie' was safe...could have gone back to that pit in Pamona,CA and lopped-off every single one of those pit bulldog's heads w/o breaking "the law", I would have. Those dogs need to be put out of their misery. I believe that Jesus Christ will be doing the same for wild people, and sooner rather than later.

    September 18, 2011 at 4:49 am | Report abuse |
  2. Sarah Gripple

    Nice story. I like happy endings.

    September 18, 2011 at 7:40 am | Report abuse |
  3. Jazzzzzzzz

    Unfortunately out of the 100 found dead the study found that 76 % were dead with in a few hrs of that abduction.

    September 18, 2011 at 8:10 am | Report abuse |
  4. Jazzzzzzzz

    The Stories you wish to read about would be here if CNN were bombed with calls and emails demanding so!
    Remember the MEDIA, looks for what WE want and then feeds us.

    September 18, 2011 at 8:13 am | Report abuse |
  5. RUFFNUTT ( TROLL SLAYER & KUNG-FU PANDA TRAINER )

    mmm.... deer kerky is so good... also deer steaks

    September 18, 2011 at 9:17 am | Report abuse |
  6. Blargh

    I see we have to plaud every poster's story here...so

    Applause.

    September 18, 2011 at 12:24 pm | Report abuse |
  7. uncle buck

    I saved the lives of at least 11 deer last night driving home. Breaks are probably shot.

    September 18, 2011 at 1:09 pm | Report abuse |
  8. occupy wallstreet

    Cover Occupywallstreet its breaking news

    September 18, 2011 at 3:20 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Pat

    CNN: How do you miss that it should be Wild Fowl Bay, not Wild Foul Bay?

    September 18, 2011 at 3:41 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Pat

    CNN: Please correct the typo. It should be Wild *Fowl* Bay.

    September 18, 2011 at 3:44 pm | Report abuse |
  11. banasy©

    One cannot dictate what CNN deems newsworthy.
    One cannot dictate what people will comment on, either.
    This is a site that's open to one and all, whether one likes it or not.
    Sometimes friendship comes with a price that is too large for one to pay.
    Guess what? I'm broke.

    September 18, 2011 at 6:12 pm | Report abuse |
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