Whitetail Swims a Mile to Island in Absolutely Frigid Waters

This whitetail has swimming skills that could give Phelps a run for his money. 

Whitetail deer are known for their resilience and unbelievable will to survive. They have long since adapted to pretty much every single climate and territory found in the United States. However, despite their impressive track record, there is apparently one deer is trying to push the limits even further.

Anne St. Onge was working at the Public library on Mackinac Island Public Library when she saw something she won't soon forget. 

Outside the building was a deer that appeared to have swum all the way there from a nearby island.

"You could tell that he had swum across because he was all wet and his back legs were quivering," St. Onge said. "I knew he had been stressed."

According to reports, after spending some time outside the library, the buck eventually made its way in to the nearby rocky shoreline and jumped into the water. The deer began to head directly towards Round Island which is just about a mile away.

This path would take the courageous deer right through the shipping lanes.

"When he was swimming across the channel, he was right in the path where the boats go," St. Onge said.

St. Onge then grabbed a pair of binoculars and watched the deer make its swim, narrowly missing a freight boat along the way.

"I was scared they were going to run him over, so I was out on the back deck waving my arms and pointing at the water and making this huge spectacle of myself," she said, laughing. "But they went by and I saw his head again, and I thought, 'Oh, phew; they missed him.'"

She said once the deer made it across the strait it climbed up onto the shore, shook off and took off for the woods.

This is certainly not the typical behavior of a whitetail buck, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do!

Did you enjoy this post? CLICK HERE to view more articles by Jesse Males. You can also follow him on Facebook Backwater Fly Fishing, Twitter @Backwater_Fly, and Instagram backwaterflyfishing.

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