By Lori Ehde
A country deer found it wasn't suited for urban living Thursday when it strayed downtown and fatally injured itself on storefront glass.
According to information from the Rock County Sheriff's Department, residents in the neighborhood southeast of Herman Motors called at 6:40 p.m. to report a deer had wandered into town.
Part-time deputy Lon Remme responded to the call. "By the time I got there it had already decided to visit the Brandenburg Gallery," Remme said Tuesday.
When it reached Main Street, Remme said it panicked and broke through the gallery glass, splitting open its underside.
After attempting to break through the glass on the other side of the gallery door, it crossed the street and bounced off another storefront before sprinting back toward Herman Motors.
Joel Herman said the animal left a trail of blood down Main Street and sprayed blood on the vehicles in the Herman lot. "There was blood all over the place," he said, but he saw humor in the incident. "You almost think of Northern Exposure where the moose wanders around Main Street."
Remme said the deer ended up in a fenced in area near Midwest Fire Equipment where it finally laid down. "He was pretty well bled out at that point," he said.
He said some nearby residents slit the animal's throat to end its misery, and it was hauled to the local pound to be picked up by rendering crews.