“Winged Deer” Causes Montana Power Outage

by Aaron Decker • June 20, 2011 • No comments

When a power outage strikes, the last thing anyone would imagine as being the cause would be a deer…especially when the power lines stretch high above the ground.

However, when a NorthWestern Energy truck responded to a customer service call in Helena, Montana the technician discovered the power outage was indeed caused by fawn that was hanging from the power lines.

Santa probably doesn’t need to check the stable to make sure rudolph and company are all accounted for. It’s believed that the “winged fawn” actually fell to an eagle, who then dropped its prey while aloft.

In North American Whitetail • Tagged ,

No Responses Yet

  1. Nate Flanders

    Sorry, to say but that's an ignorant assumption. Eagles can only carry a few lbs max, nothing more than a large cat… It would be more realistic to assume IF lines are close to a road it may have been struck by car and somesaulted into the air, or if new lines were strung it was caught up as they were stretched and raised, but it's not possible for an eagle to carry this ammount of weight.

    On June 21, 2011 at 10:44 am • Reply
    • Ken

      You shouldn't be calling people ignorant when you are in fact wrong. I am an employee and the San Diego Zoo and a Bald Eagle could lift a small deer if it was large enough. It wouldn't be able to carry it extremely far, which might be why it landed on the lines.

      On June 21, 2011 at 7:41 pm • Reply
    • Ray

      Check out the video of an eagle carrying away a mountain goat. It is possible Nate. Here is the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9nHRIjMFh8
      Don't speak of things you don't know.

      On June 23, 2011 at 4:24 am • Reply
    • billy

      good job dumbass!

      On June 27, 2011 at 4:57 pm • Reply
    • scott

      What is really ignorant is that you actually thought the fawn was caught while stretching new lines or catapolted in the air from a car hitting it, maybe should have finished your schooling!!

      On June 29, 2011 at 9:31 pm • Reply
    • Kevin Maddock

      I have watched Eagles take bighorn sheep kids and although they lose some altitude at first can carry them for some distance before dropping them.

      On July 8, 2011 at 7:36 pm • Reply
    • ahocker

      Hey there nate, eagles have 3000 lbs of lift and can carry a mountion goat off a mountion and take a full sized doe down. How about u know what ur talking about before u answer to a blog.k. thats ignorant.

      On July 18, 2011 at 10:48 am • Reply
  2. bso2212

    Golden Eagles use their agility and speed combined with extremely powerful talons to snatch up prey including rabbits, marmots, ground squirrels, and large mammals such as foxes, wild and domestic cats, mountain goats, ibex, and young deer. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Eagle)

    On June 21, 2011 at 1:38 pm • Reply
    • Mccade

      A wodefnrul job. Super helpful information.

      On June 30, 2011 at 9:30 am • Reply
  3. Pepper's Guy

    Isn't that amazing! Eagles are one of God's most awesome creatures. Until you're around them it seems a little crazy to think one could haul off a fighting, kicking fawn. You should see them feast on huge salmon up here in the northwest. They're incredible. Razor sharp talons that render their prey lifeless in an instant, huge wings creating all kinds of lift and stability. Insanely quick. Crazy good eyesight. So agile and very intellegent. A wonder to behold.

    On June 23, 2011 at 10:53 am • Reply
  4. Mark

    Guys,

    I watched an eagle carry a pair of deer lungs………est. 8 lbs., away right outside my windshield. I coasted up on a road kill and two baldy's took off from the site of the free meal. Literally feet away. Not a problem.

    Nature is awesome.

    Mark

    On June 23, 2011 at 9:40 pm • Reply
  5. Tom

    OR, maybe it was aliens from outer space or Kansas.

    On June 27, 2011 at 2:07 pm • Reply
  6. larry

    A newborn fawn is no bigger than a house cat. An eagle would have no problem carrying one.

    On June 27, 2011 at 3:09 pm • Reply
  8. dan b

    "Do chickens have large tallons?"

    On June 28, 2011 at 2:10 am • Reply
  9. lex

    LOTS of ignorance to go around in this forum…

    I love it when people say something can't happen. People have been catapulted into trees by cars, cars into trees by trucks…don't ever say it can't happen because it most certainly does. Ask any tow truck driver that has an interstate highway section in their territory…crap that is beyond belief happens every day. Just when you think you've seen it all, someone does something idiotic and proves you wrong.

    On July 8, 2011 at 1:05 pm • Reply
    • brad

      thts right imma truck driver and ive seen some pretty nasty crashes

      On September 13, 2011 at 2:03 am • Reply
  10. anthony

    a fawn only weighs about 2 to 3 pounds and a bald eagle can carry about 6 pounds so it's very easy for a eagle to carry that fawn.

    On July 28, 2011 at 11:49 am • Reply