A Man Had to be Rescued After Falling Through Ice Trying to Save a Deer

Alright, I must stress that I’m not a monster. And the thought of a deer falling through ice is extremely unfortunate, but I can’t honestly say I would walk out on ice I knew was dangerously thin to rescue the animal.

I’m not quite sure what that says about me, but judging how it went with this Maine man when he attempted to play hero, I think I’ll stick to my guns on this one.

News Center Maine reports 63-year-old Rick Crowe from Princeton had to be rescued by Maine Game Wardens and Princeton Police after he fell into the frigid cold waters of Long Lake on Monday morning. According to Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife spokesperson Mark Latti, Crowe was taking a canoe out to rescue the deer in distress, when the canoe flipped. Evidently, Crowe’s wife was standing by and called game wardens for help.

Thankfully, Rick was wearing a lifejacket when he fell in, however it was still an emergency situation to get him out of the freezing water.

Officials say the Warden Service Airboat was deployed along with help from the Princeton Fire department. Princeton Fire Chief Tony Ramsdell was dressed in a cold water suit to jump into the water to rescue Crowe, who at this point remained conscious, but was beginning to suffer from severe hypothermia.

Upon being pulled from the icy water, Crowe was immediately transported to Calais Regional Hospital.

Once he was safe, Game Warden Brad Richard along with two other men went to work to save the deer and release it back onshore.

Game wardens remind everyone that the ice this year can be treacherous, as warm weather and rains in December has left many lakes and ponds with far less ice than normal. Game Wardens remind everyone to check ice thickness before heading out for any activity on the ice.

OutdoorHub Editor: Keenan Crow

Keenan Crow is an outdoor writer who graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism and creative writing. He has been writing for OutdoorHub for nearly five years, but anybody he is close with will tell you he has been telling hunting stories for far longer. He uses his experiences outdoors to write about things he loves - bow hunting, fishing, upland hunting, shed hunting, turkey hunting, waterfowl hunting, dog training, shotguns, ATVs and the outdoor lifestyle he lives in his home state of Michigan. Outside of hunting/fishing, he also loves to cook - especially with wild game - play golf and go on hikes with his yellow lab, Stella.