TORONTO -- Czech police are searching for a hunter鈥檚 rifle after a deer snatched it in its antlers and ran away with it during an incident in southern Bohemia.
Police said the hunter lost his 0.22 Hornet rifle during a hunting excursion in a forest near the village of Horni Plana on Friday.
According to a published Tuesday, one of the hunting group鈥檚 dogs startled the stag as they were walking in the forest. The deer then charged directly at one of the hunters and ripped the man鈥檚 left sleeve with its antler as it ran past him.
Authorities said the hunter had slung his rifle over his left hand and the gun had slid down onto the deer鈥檚 antler when his sleeve was ripped.
鈥淭he deer escaped the hunter with a weapon,鈥� police said in the statement, which was translated into English.
Fortunately, police said, the rifle didn鈥檛 have any ammunition in it at the time of the incident.
Another hunter reportedly spotted the deer with the rifle dangling from its antlers over a kilometre away from where the initial encounter with the animal took place.
After searching the forest for the rifle, hunters reported the missing gun to police.
Police said lost weapons must be reported to authorities under the country鈥檚 Firearms and Ammunition Act.
鈥淚f anyone finds the weapon, they are obliged to hand it over to the nearest police department,鈥� police said.
