Press-Republican

Local News

November 17, 2009

Moira man fights off deer attack

MOIRA — A 56-year-old Moira man fought off a vicious attack by a deer Friday afternoon, possibly saving his own life.

Gerald A. Dabiew was loading wood into a front-end loader in his yard on Best Road when he noticed a large, 10-point buck rubbing against a tree across the road.

“I saw something out of the corner of my eye,” said Dabiew, who then watched the deer enter the roadway. “He looked toward me, and he wasn’t but 20 or 30 feet away. He put his head down and dove right toward.

“He was moving, and I didn’t have time to do anything. All I thought was ‘grab those horns.’”

Dabiew, who is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 230 pounds, grasped on to the animal’s antlers and wrapped his legs around its neck. But the deer lifted him up and began repeatedly slamming Dabiew onto the ground, ramming him with the large rack.

“He kept pushing and twisting on me. I knew that if he kept me down there, I was dead. So I fought with everything I had. I had his nose down between my legs, and I held him tight to me.”

But the deer kept lifting him and slamming him to the ground. At one point, the animal smashed him against a nearby tree stump.

By his estimates, Dabiew’s encounter with the angry buck lasted about 20 minutes, his mind racing for the duration.

“I remember telling him, ‘You’re not going to kill me out here!’”

Dabiew was home alone at the time, so his calls for help went unanswered.

“I screamed and screamed for help. My throat dried right out, and I couldn’t scream anymore.”

The fracas went on so long that both the deer and Dabiew had to stop to catch their breaths. Dabiew could hear the animal breathing deeply through its nose as he clenched it with his legs.

Dabiew looked for anything within reach that he could use to fight off the animal, but every time he started to loosen his grip, the animal began battering him.

“I knew if I let him go he would be right on me again.”

Slowly, Dabiew realized that he, himself, was becoming exhausted.

“He started thrashing again, and we rolled a couple times.”

At that point, Dabiew let go and pushed the deer off him with his feet.

The deer turned away from him, kicked him in the side of the face with its back legs and ran off.

It took Dabiew everything he had to pull himself up onto the front-end loader.

As he did, he looked toward the tree line and saw that the deer had stopped and was staring back at him.

Dabiew drove the loader back to his house, where his brother was just arriving and had to help him out of the machine.

Covered head-to-toe in blood and mud, Dabiew cleaned himself up and was taken to the emergency room at Alice Hyde Medical Center, where he was treated and released.

Dabiew has cuts and bruises all over his body, including his stomach, chest, back and head. He also has a bruised tailbone, which he said doctors can do nothing to treat.

“I’m sore, but that will go away with time,” he said. “I was in fights when I was young. But I have never taken a pounding like I took from that thing. I have never been so afraid of anything.”

Dabiew, who does not hunt, said the attack was likely a freak incident, but he believes the noise he was making by throwing wood into the loader could have sounded like bucks fighting, which hunters use to attract deer.

Ed Reed, a wildlife biologist with the Department of Environmental Conservation, said that theory could be correct.

“This is breeding season for whitetails, and they get pretty aggressive,” Reed said. “They have been known to attack people. If he sees something moving, he feels like it’s somebody encroaching on his territory.”

Reed said people should not be concerned for their safety in light of the attack.

Regardless, Dabiew hopes his story might raise awareness of the possibility of deer attacking humans.

“People should pay attention,” he said. “I have lived here all my life, and I have never seen anything like this. I didn’t even believe it. It scared the crap out of me, I know that.”

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News
  • Governor visits North Country to promote budget package

    Delights huge crowd at Plattsburgh State in promising to continue reform in Albany. INCLUDES VIDEO

    Updated Feb 3, 2012 5:51 pm 1 Video
  • Boundaries may remain as is

    Franklin County has started work on redistricting, but legislators say the population probably didn't change enough to warrant a new plan.

    Posted Feb 3, 2012 2:16 pm
  • Marble River Wind Farm work continues

    The 72-tower project in the towns of Ellenburg and Clinton is expected to be operational in October.

    Posted Feb 3, 2012 9:24 am
  • New technology helps history, tourism, arts

    Adirondack Architectural Heritage in Keeseville hosted a presentation on using Facebook as part of marketing strategies.

    Posted Feb 3, 2012 8:29 am
  • Body likely missing Fort Covington man

    Dustin Trimm of Winthrop charged with murder.

    Posted Feb 3, 2012 2:28 am
  • Pipeline work on hold

    A natural-gas boom in Pennsylvania increased demand for specialized workers and has doubled the expected construction costs for the 48-mile St. Lawrence Gas line through Franklin County.

    Updated Feb 3, 2012 6:12 am 1 Link
  • Many agencies working together on waterway remediation

    In Keene Valley on Thursday, officials and citizens visited a cross-weir on John's Brook designed to protect both the environment and the bridge there from future flood damage.

    Posted Feb 3, 2012 2:28 am 2 Photos
  • Robert Russell to the rescue

    The 6-year-old Peru boy was recognized for thinking quickly to call 911 when his mother had a seizure.

    Posted Feb 3, 2012 2:28 am 1 Photo
  • Powerful savings— for now

    National Grid is ending collection of one fee and beginning collection of a smaller one, leaving residential and business customers with lower bills in 2012.

    Updated Feb 3, 2012 5:28 am
  • Appeal mostly denied for Tupper Lake man

    Travis K. Borden was convicted in 2010 of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old.

    Posted Feb 3, 2012 2:28 am
  • Sharing dough

    Students in Ticonderoga learned to make bread from scratch from King Arthur Flour's free Life Skills Baking Program.

    Posted Feb 3, 2012 2:28 am 1 Photo
  • City approves surcharge for dam repairs

    Funds will go toward paying off long-term bond for infrastructure improvements.

    Posted Feb 3, 2012 2:28 am
  • Car chase nets arrest

    Lance D. Lamora allegedly fled police in the City of Plattsburgh on Monday night; he faces numerous misdemeanor charges, including driving while intoxicated.

    Posted Feb 3, 2012 2:28 am
  • Of Interest: Feb. 3, 2012

    DWI crackdown runs today through Sunday; Venue changes for Crown Point meeting; Dannemora Village to work on budget; Saranac School Board to meet Feb. 7.

    Posted Feb 3, 2012 2:28 am
  • Westport Branch of Latter-day Saints closes

    Lack of members cited for closure; Westport members merge with Middlebury, Vt., ward.

    Posted Feb 3, 2012 2:26 am 2 Photos
  • February 2, 2012
  • Pipeline on hold

    A natural-gas boom in Pennsylvania increased demand for specialized workers and has doubled the expected construction costs for the 48-mile St. Lawrence Gas line through Franklin County.

    Posted Feb 2, 2012 2:33 pm
  • Strand Theatre fundraising on home stretch

    It has about $800,000 left to raise for the $4 million project.

    Posted Feb 2, 2012 10:40 am 5 Photos
  • Appeal mostly denied for Tupper Lake man

    Travis K. Borden was convicted in 2010 of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old.

    Updated Feb 2, 2012 3:13 pm

Recent Article Comments
Albany Round-up

Photo of the Day
Strange News
Videos: Editor Picks
Killer of Fla. Girl Found in Landfill Gets Life Army Orders Bradley Manning Court-martial Cancer Charity Revives Breast-screening Grants Heavy Snowstorm Hits Colorado On Its Way East 2nd Teacher From LA School Arrested on Sex Claim Prosecutors Close Armstrong Inquiry, No Charges Sights and Sounds: Football Fans Pour Into Indy Unemployment Rate Down to 8.3% Obama: Still Far Too Many Americans Need Jobs GOP: Jobs Numbers Welcome, Can Do Better Fla. Man Adopts Girlfriend in Legal Battle More Deaths As Egypt Clashes Continue Raw Video: Prince William in Falklands Egpyt Protesters Blame Police for Soccer Deaths 'Lucky' 9-Year-Old Receives 6-Organ Transplant Raw Video: Michelle Vs. Ellen in Pushup Contest First Person: Will Peyton Manning Stay in Indy? Egypt Shaken After Deadly Soccer Riot New Suits, New Starts for New York's Unemployed Hall of Famer Dorsett Speaks Out on NFL Injuries