The body of 66-year-old John Henry Frix was found around 8 p.m. in a pen of red deer on his property off of Trail of Tears Trail in Ball Ground.

Cherokee County coroner Earl Darby tells WSB's Jeff Hullinger the deer gored Frix several times in the upper body with its antlers.

Sgt. Jay Baker with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department tells WSB's Mark Alewine the red deer weighed about 200 pounds and was the size of a small elk.

The victim's relatives attribute the attack to rut, the time of year when deer mate.

After the attack, a Frix family member shot and killed the deer, which had shown aggressive behavior over the last few days.

No charges have been filed and the incident has been turned over to the Department of Natural Resources for further investigation.

8 October 2007