Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
TIPPECANOE - What began as an out-of-season sparring match ended as an accidental drowning when two bucks' antlers locked in combat, stumbled into a pond, and drowned.
Generally, deer fight in the fall during rutting season until one male backs down. The loser retreats while the victor retains the mating rights to the does in "his" territory.
Guests of Wayne and Betty Bessinger's Hillfarm Wildlife Refuge bed and breakfast found the deer.
"This is time of the year when they're shedding their antlers," said Wayne Bessinger of the Feb. 11 discovery. "They're both 12-point bucks, got their antlers locked and couldn't get apart.
"Weekend guests went out on the trail for a walk and they found them."
The combatants hadn't been there for very long, he said. He went into the pond up to his knees, wrapped a chain around one of the animal's legs and pulled them out with a tractor.
"I didn't know what I had until I got them out."
Bessinger called friends and neighbors who hunt and they came to look, calling their friends and neighbors while en route. A crowd quickly formed.
Finding a set of locked antlers is a rare occurrence. Finding intact deer bodies attached to them is even more unusual.
Bessinger's immediate thoughts went where they always do - to Potawatomi Wildlife Park where he serves as a founding director.
He plans to have the animals mounted, in a fighting stance, and donate the display to the park. He'd like some help with costs, though.
"It's going to be about $6,000 for the mounting and sealed, glass container," he said.
Craig Browning of Culver will do the taxidermy.
"It's not often deer with locked antlers are good enough to taxidermy full body. The taxidermist said they're in good shape," Bessinger said.
Because many visitors to the wildlife park are from Marshall and Kosciusko County, Bessinger figured folks here might like to contribute to the exhibit.
Potawatomi Wildlife Park is a 287-acre complex that consists of fields, woodlands, ponds, and wetlands and is bordered by the Tippecanoe River. It is on Ind. 331 in Marshall County. The park is managed as a natural sanctuary for plants and animals of northern Indiana and provides educational activities for schools in the area, as well as a site for recreational activities, such as hiking or bird watching.
Local board members are: Forest Kantner, Mentone; Jeffrey Klinefelter, Etna Green; and John Anglin Jr., Clunette;
Marshall County board members are: Wayne Bessinger and Seth Carter, both of Tippecanoe; Jay Grossman, Tim Gochenour, and Lynne Utter, all of Bourbon; Sylvia Bieghler, Amanda Petruchelli and Mark Eseich, all of Plymouth; Larry Beeson, Bremen; and William Clevenger, Culver.
Mike Steffan is the park manager.
On the Net: Potawatomi Wildlife Park: www.getintonature.com
