Texas deputy screams and runs after 'dead' deer springs to feet in viral encounter

An East Texas sheriff’s deputy got the scare of his life when a deer he thought was dead suddenly sprang to its feet, sending the startled lawman screaming back toward his cruiser in a moment caught on camera that quickly went viral online.

The wild encounter was captured on the deputy’s dashcam and shared on Facebook by Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace, who joked that sometimes things can "scare the heck out of a person."

Wallace had some fun with the incident, encouraging social media users to "[w]atch when he encounters what he thinks is a dead deer until it comes back to life!"

The video opens with the deputy approaching what appears to be a motionless doe lying along the side of the road.

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As the deputy gets closer to examine the animal, the deer suddenly springs to life.

The startled deputy lets out a scream and races back toward his patrol vehicle.

"OK, we’re good," the deputy says with a laugh after recovering from the surprise.

The deer is last seen sitting up on the side of the road before the video ends.

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"Instead of a citation, the ‘suspect’ made a four-legged getaway and vanished into the East Texas woods," Wallace wrote on Facebook.

"Just another night shift where anything can happen," the sheriff added.

Wallace later assured viewers that the doe was unharmed and "made a full recovery."

The unexpected roadside encounter quickly found an audience online, with Wallace saying the video has been viewed more than 10 million times.