The thing I love most about this video is that it exists. That one of the hunter’s buddies (I assume) had a camera and the good sense to keep rolling.

My friend — and small animal veterinarian — Dr. T. Everett Mobley thinks this scene was staged:

“I think that is a staged video with a trained deer. Note that when the deer quiets down, the guy cues him with a couple of gentle kicks. The deer never uses his antlers. The deer does not appear distressed. Deer hooves are usually quite sharp.  People have had their throats cut by a kicking deer. Maybe it’s real and the guy killed his buddies with an axe afterwards, but I doubt it.”