Meredith Greenstein, who lives on Windermere Road, captured the deer on her Ring camera around 2 a.m. Monday, Oct. 27.

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

A buck wandering through Montclair with a soccer net tangled in his antlers has startled residents, sparked dozens of calls to animal control, and touched hearts across town.

Montclair Animal Control Director Liz Morgan said they've received about 20 calls about the buck, who’s been spotted from Grove Street to Upper Montclair, often with the metal pole from the net clanging as he moves.

Meredith Greenstein, who lives on Windermere Road, caught the guy on her Ring camera around 2 a.m. Monday, Oct. 27 (click here to watch).

“The metal pole that is hanging off the deer was slamming on my front door and it sounded like someone was breaking into my house,” Greenstein said. “My dog went bananas and I was assuming someone was breaking in — just to see this poor guy eating my pumpkins.”

Greenstein said she and her neighbors have been heartbroken watching the buck roam town. “He’s obviously okay — he’s making his way around town, everyone has seen him — but it’s heartbreaking to know that no one is actively trying to help this poor guy,” she said. “Everyone’s like, ‘Oh my God, someone should help him.’”

Why Animal Control Can’t Step In

Montclair Animal Control Director Liz Morgan said her team is closely monitoring the buck but is limited in what they can do.

“The New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife is the only agency equipped and authorized to safely dart wildlife,” Morgan said. “They will only respond if the animal is contained or non-ambulatory — for example, if he becomes stuck on a fence or branch and can no longer move freely.”

Even then, Morgan said, darting the deer in a residential area poses serious risks.

“Let’s say we have 40 volunteers and we go out and drag him into a very open area — it will take 60 to 90 minutes for the state to get here,” she said. “You can’t discharge that weapon [a tranquilizer gun] in that environment. Even if we got him in a backyard, you’re darting an animal that’s going to be stunned — you’re estimating the weight — and then he’s going to take off. You’d have a panicked animal running through a congested area.”

The Division of Fish & Wildlife officers, Morgan emphasized, “are the only ones who have that equipment and the ability to do that safely.”

A Resilient Animal

Morgan said the animal has shown surprising resilience over the past two weeks. “Ten days ago, the net was over both sets of antlers,” she said. “He’s been able to work one part of that off on his own. The long metal thing has got to be scaring the hell out of him regularly.”

“He’s been spotted from Grove Street to past the Acme — eating someone’s pumpkin or garden — so he’s doing everything he needs to survive,” Morgan said. “He’s probably more ambulatory than I am.”

It’s now a waiting game, Morgan explained. “Either he’ll get stuck and we’ll be able to help, or his antlers will fall off naturally — that’s probably about a month away.”

The director said she understands residents’ frustration but urged compassion and patience. 

“These are resilient animals,” Morgan said. “As long as they’re up and ambulatory, going about their life — all the best. But this is not Bambi. This is a large, strong wild animal that won’t understand we’re there to help.”