In Vermont on a partially frozen pond, a 19-year-old took to frigid waters armed with a canoe, rake, shovel and life jacket to rescue a deer that had broken through thin ice. Griffin Marquis was on his way home when he received a call from his grandfather. The message: a deer had fallen through the ice on Derby Pond.
“The deer was about 100 yards out from shore,” Marquis told CNN Newsource/WCAX/WKRC.
Young hunter canoes out to deer stranded on frozen pond
Upon arrival home, Marquis got into a canoe and used a shovel to both paddle and haul himself across the ice to reach the doe.
“The deer was pretty shaken up,” Marquis shared. “It didn’t have a whole lot of energy left.”
After reaching the doe, Marquis attempted several methods of rescue from towing the doe with a rope to pulling the doe closer with a rake. Eventually and after repeated attempts, Marquis got the deer into his canoe.
“It wasn’t really happy to be in there with me, but it made it in,” Marquis said. “So I sat for another about three minutes with it in the canoe, try to calm it down, make it feel safe.”
The doe relaxed and Marquis began the journey to shore, but they weren’t out of the woods yet. The canoe broke through ice on the surface of the water, making a loud noise. Startled, the doe lurched and jumped out of the canoe, sending both Marquis and the deer into the chilly waters of Derby Pond. Thanks in part to Marquis’ choice to wear a life jacket, he made it back to shore safely, but the doe was still in peril.
“I went under, right over my head. Took the wind right out of me and breath out of me and it was just kind of fight mode to get out of there,” said Marquis.
The Derby Pond rescue continues
Upon reaching shore Marquis warmed up with a hot shower and made to head back out to continue rescuing the doe. His grandfather, Doug Spates, watched the whole ordeal from shore and encouraged Marquis not to go back out.
“I just said ‘Griff this isn’t worth it. You know I want to save a deer but it’s not worth something happening,’” said Spates. “But you don’t say no to Griff, because he was pretty determined that he was going to save that deer.”
Marquis couldn’t be persuaded and paddled back out to the deer a second time. When he reached the doe, Marquis grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, and with his other hand paddled the canoe with a rake. When he reached shallower water, Marquis jumped out of the canoe and pulled the deer to safety.
CNN Newsource/WCAX/WKRC reported that in addition to being an animal rescuer, Marquis is also an avid hunter.
“I figured you know, my life revolves a lot about hunting,” explained Marquis. “I love to hunt and I know that I’m putting it [the deer] to good use. I’m feeding my family, I’m feeding my friends and I thank that deer very much for letting me take its life. I figured I could give back to the deer myself.”
“Obviously I didn’t want to sit there and watch it suffer. I figured I’d do what I could to get it out,” Marquis added. “It was a sigh of relief, watching it walk away into the woods.”
