Watch Wis. Deputies' Clever Drone Use Rescue 3 Deer that Fell in Icy Lake

March 28, 2025

In order to rescue a doe and her two fawns after they had fallen through a lake's thin ice, Green Lake County sheriff's deputies got creative and used a drone to steer the exhausted deer to dry land.

By Rhiannon Saegert

Source The Bradenton Herald

When three deer fell through thin ice at a Wisconsin lake, police used a drone to guide them out of the frigid water and onto the shore.

WBAY reported the deer, a doe and her two fawns, could be seen 200 yards from the shore in water 40 feet deep on March 15. Every attempt to climb out onto solid ice led them farther and farther from land.

According to a post from the Green Lake Sheriff's Office, after weighing their options, a deputy flew a drone in windy conditions and used it to steer the skittish, exhausted animals toward the shore.

“I’m thinking, that drone, if I can do it, it’s easy enough that I can just bring it around and do a cattle drive, but for deer and just use the prop wash (propeller wind) or the drone to motivate them,” Det. Josh Ward told WBAY.

Police said it took teamwork between deputies, the Green Lake County drone team and the local department of natural resources to herd two of the deer back into shallow water.

“However, the third doe did not follow suit, and the wind complicated the rescue efforts, pushing ice toward the city,” police said in the post.

Ward and several others herded the third deer toward the shore and used a rope to pull the doe out of the water, according to the police department.

Green Lake is about a 100-mile drive northwest from Milwaukee. Temperatures on March 15 ranged between the low 30s and mid 50s.

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