Grandma mauled to death by deer she rescued — but controversy explodes over killer buck
An Ohio animal lover who rescued injured deer was killed by one of the animals in an enclosure at her home — but which buck has blood on its antlers has exploded into a raging controversy.
Jodi Proger spent the last 12 years rehabilitating whitetails on her five-acre Stewartsville, Ohio, property, about two hours south of Akron.
The grandmother was killed by a buck Nov. 15 after becoming trapped inside an enclosure with the beast, WSYX reported.
Belmont County police officers were forced to shoot the aggressive deer in order to reach Proger, who was pronounced dead on the scene from her injuries, which were not detailed.
Proger, 64, began saving deer in 2013, after she watched a doe get killed by a car on an Ohio highway — and rescued its days-old fawn, as it heartbreakingly circled its mother’s body on the side of the road.
“I wasn’t gonna do it but I did it,” she told The Dodo news outlet, recounting how she turned her car around and scooped up the newborn male.
Jodi Proger, 64, was killed by a deer she was attempting to rehabilitate on Nov. 15,pictured with her beloved Wheezer.JodiWheezer Proger/ Facebook
She named the baby Wheezer, and fought to keep him two years later after someone filed a complaint with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
The Buckeye state agency threatened to take and cull Wheezer — much like what happened to P’Nut the squirrel in upstate New York in 2024 — but Proger was able to keep her rescued pet and later expanded her efforts to save other deer.
“He’s like a big dog,” Proger said of Wheezer in a 2015 TV interview with 12 On Your Side.
Proger’s Facebook page is dedicated to her relationship with Wheezer, who is pictured making himself comfortable on couches and beds inside the home.
The deer-mom and her buck are seen wearing matching outfits at Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day and Valentine’s Day.
Proger even shared food mouth-to-mouth with Wheezer — who, in a recent photo, sports enormous six-point antlers.
Since Wheezer’s adoption, Proger has brought home at least four other does and bucks — who are pictured in Facebook posts going back to last year.
In two photos, a wild deer stands alongside two children Proger identifies as her granddaughters, one of whom kisses the animal’s shoulder.
Proger’s daughter Jennifer Bryan took to social media to dispel rumors that Wheezer was the killer.
“Wheezer DID NOT kill my mom,” Bryan said in a lengthy Facebook post. “He was neutered per the requirements of [Ohio Department of Natural Resources] when she received her permit.”
Male whitetail deer can grow to over three feet tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 300 pounds, according to the National Park Service.
Bryan emphasized that her mother was licensed to care for the creatures and “knew the risks” that came with interacting with a wild species.
“My mom knew the dangers of owning deer,” Bryan wrote. “She worked within Belmont county to rescue and aide [sic] many animals over her lifespan,” the proud daughter wrote, adding later, “This is a sad tragedy and we deserve RESPECT and time to grieve.”
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Department of Agriculture are investigating Proger’s death, according to WSYX.
The Belmont County Police Department did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Deer collisions with cars and trucks make them the deadliest animal in the United States, responsible for roughly 440 deaths in an average year, and more than 96% of all wildlife-related deaths, according to the Washington Post.
