EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. – A Northland family is sharing details and photos of their latest encounter with a very friendly deer, who they have decided to name “Lucky.”
Andrea McKown said she had heard a veterinarian from Excelsior Springs named Pete Rucker, rescued three fawns after their mother was hit by a car. She said he kept the young deer for some time and waited until after deer season before releasing them back into the wild, hoping they would have a much better chance of survival.
McKown, who said Rucker lives about a mile or so from their home, said Lucky recently found her way back to the area where she was raised. This past Saturday and Sunday, the dear visited McKown’s family at their home on 92 Highway between Kearney and Excelsior Springs, Mo.
McKown says the deer has been seen in several of their neighbor’s yards, and has had lots of interaction with folks in the area. According to McKown the deer has posed for a selfie, gives “kisses” and lets kids and adults pet her and has even played kick ball with one of our neighbor boys.
Kelani Finley, 12, and his family first noticed the deer, which they’ve named “Bambi,” last Friday afternoon. They were shocked when the young white-tailed doe didn’t run when they went to pet her.
“I was amazed,” Finley said. “How do I explain it? It was a once in a lifetime experience. There’s a deer walking up to you.”
The McKown family says she is possibly “the friendliest deer we will and have ever encountered.”
