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Visitors to the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center in Austin should be on the lookout for an aggressive and potentially sick male white-tailed deer following an attack on a visitor Wednesday.

According to a press release from the Nature Center, the visitor was running the trails at the Nature Center and encountered a young buck that was acting aggressively. After initially scaring it away, the runner was rammed and then pinned under the deer.

The runner was able to fight the deer off, which then ran away. The runner sustained minor bruising from the incident and reported it to Nature Center staff.

After discussing the incident with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologists, Nature Center staff located the deer and contacted the Austin Police Department to destroy it.

The buck evaded efforts and Nature Center staff are currently working with the Austin Police Department to locate the deer and put it down. It is unknown at this time if the deer is still on the Nature Center property.

Jay C. Hormel Nature Center visitors should never approach wildlife and in this circumstance should watch for white-tailed deer and keep their distance. If visitors encounter a deer behaving aggressively or strangely, they should immediately contact the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center at 1-507-437-7519 or the Mower County Law Enforcement Center after 5 p.m. at 1-507-437-9400.