Duluth Man Saves Deer from Icy River in Viral Video

Video Shows Man Explaining the Situation in Sign Language

Steven Peterson of Duluth was driving home from his friend’s house when he saw something bobbing up and down in the frozen river.

Wondering what it was, he turned his car around to go inspect what could be in the water.

“I stopped and I looked closely, and I could see these arms struggling to stay above the water,” said Peterson.

He saw right away that it was a deer. He thought about calling 911 but knew that the deer didn’t have much time.

“It had icicles all over it’s face, it looks like it had been there for a while,” 

So he pushed a log out toward the deer, and got on his hands and knees and started crawling to the animal, which was moving frantically, trying to get out of the river.

He finally reached the deer, put a trailer strap around its head and front leg, and pulled. It was a struggle, but the deer was finally out of the water.

Then he took the straps off, and decided to give it a name… Miss Ice River

“I was completely drenched soaking wet freezing cold,” he recalled. 

The deer lay limp, too weak to stand up.  Peterson waited with the deer for another hour, making sure it was ok.

“After I felt that this deer was ok and no longer in a near death situation, I said my farewell to the deer and made my way back to my truck,” he said. 

When Peterson decided to record himself rescuing the deer, he had no idea that the video would go viral

” I knew there would be people saying that, ‘you took such a risk! And it’s dangerous!’ And I knew that,” 

But it was a risk he was willing to take, and he is glad that he did

“If I would have just ignored it, dismissed it, it would have eaten at me and I would have felt this sense of guilt, I would have kept thinking for years to come that I should have rescued this deer,” said Peterson. 

Miss Ice River now has a second chance to live, and has Peterson to thank that for.