A recent Instagram video proves that you don’t have to visit a national park to see people acting recklessly around wildlife. Your neighborhood golf course can also be a haven for this sort of activity. The short video, which was shared to Instagram last week, shows a golfer walking up to a pair of rutting bucks locked in battle. Acting on a dare, he slaps one of the deer on its rump. The offended buck then spins around and lowers its head at the golfer, who quickly backs away. Fortunately for him, the buck skipped away instead of charging.
It’s unclear where this took place, and creator Jordan Garrett did not respond to requests for comment. But judging from Garrett’s other posts, the live oak trees in the background, and the relatively small-bodied deer, it looks like the video was filmed on a golf course in Texas.
It begins with the golfers approaching the two bucks as the deer fight each other on the edge of a fairway. The golfer behind the camera tells his buddy to “just slap him on the ass, bro.”
“No way!” his friend responds, “that bitch will impale me.”
The dare proves too tempting, however, and the golfer follows through on it. With a wedge in one hand, he walks up to the bucks and smacks one right on its hindquarter. He’s lucky he doesn’t end up hospitalized, as the buck forgets all about its challenger and squares up to him with its antlers lowered. The golfer backpedals a few steps as his buddy chimes in again.
“OK,” he says, laughing. “Take it easy, bud.”
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As deer, elk, and moose enter various stages of the rut across the country, these normally benign critters get aggressive in their search for mates. Although the males are generally looking for other bucks and bulls to fight with, they’ll also attack humans if not given enough space. To avoid these encounters, the National Park Service recommends staying at least 25 yards away from wildlife whether you’re at Rocky Mountain National Park or, if you’re wise, playing a round at the local golf course.