NORWAY – Two hunters followed a wounded deer over a hill, across a busy highway, past a marina and then watched the buck swim 100 yards into Lake Pennesseewassee before it died Monday.
As dusk approached, Sam Hussey of Durham looked over the placid water that showed no sign of the large carcass.
“I just shot it two hours ago,” he said breathlessly.
His friend Dave MacKaye of Windham pointed back toward Pike’s Hill to indicate where they started their hunt.
Police were called to the scene when a witness reported seeing the hunters follow the wounded deer, which ran into Route 118 then jumped the embankment into the water.
MacKaye said he thinks the deer swam for 25 minutes and made it 100 yards into the lake before it went belly-up. Injured animals are drawn to water, the hunters said.
“That deer did naturally what God intended it to do,” MacKaye said.
Hunters are not allowed to shoot into water, MacKaye said. “I do believe it drowned. It was bobbing.”
Both hunters unloaded their weapons when they approached Route 118, they said.
Maine State Police Lt. Kevin Conger checked their weapons to make sure.
Conger said the hunters should retrieve the animal, but he seemed dubious of the first idea proposed, using a dinghy.
“You’ll have to do it in something bigger than a pump-up boat,” he told them. “I don’t want to be coming out in the middle of the night to pull you out.”
Game Warden Neal Wykes, who arrived later, said deer float because their hair is hollow.
The hunters planned to take a boat out later Monday night or early this morning to try to find the buck.
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