Wyoming
Rock Springs Loves Steve, A Mule Deer With Gnarled Antlers And…
When it comes to hanging out with his deer buddies and snacking on his favorite treat — crabapples fresh off the trees — a mule deer buck that lives in Rock Springs isn’t about the let anything stop him.
Not even terrible injuries that have left him limping along on three hooves with antlers that are a tangled mess.
What Do We Call Him?
Folks weren’t sure what to call the buck that has limped his way around the southwest Wyoming town for a couple of years and become a local fixture.
So, Rock Springs resident Daxton Staley posted a poll on social media calling on other locals to help him decide on a name.
Popular options included Eliot after the goofy, one-antlered deer from the animated children’s movie “Open Season.”
Many favored “Lt. Dan” after the character in the hugely popular cinematic tribute to Americana, “Forrest Gump.”
In that movie, Lt. Dan is initially angry and cynical after losing his legs during the Vietnam War, but eventually finds redemption and happiness.
However, one fitting name won out: Steve the Survivor.
Staley said he came up with that name.
“I was sitting on the couch, and I saw him through the living room window, and I thought ‘Steve’ seemed to fit him. He’s Steve the Survivor,” he said.
How Did He Get That Way?
Quite a few mule deer call Rock Springs home. They frequently move between tasty lawns in quiet neighborhoods and resting spots in the vast, arid lands surrounding the city.
Among the deer, Steve has been popular for a while, Staley told Cowboy State Daily.
Nobody seems to know for sure how Steve got to be the way that he is. But as the story goes, he was more-or-less a normal buck before being struck by a vehicle about two years ago, Staley said.
The accident left the young buck horribly wounded and deformed, but he slowly recovered enough to keep living his best life.
At first, one of Steve’s rear hooves was “hanging on by just some fur and maybe a tendon,” Staley said. “But then it fell completely off.”
Not to be so easily stopped, Steve continued to limp along on the stump, which eventually calloused over, Staley said.
According to wildlife biologists, head injuries can cause unusual antler growth in deer. That could probably account for the wild and wacky way that Steve’s antlers come in every year.
Bucks start growing antlers in the spring. At first, the antlers are covered with a nutrient-rich membrane called velvet. Once that dries up and falls off, usually in late summer or early fall, the antlers are revealed in their full glory.
The antlers themselves fall off, usually around February, and the process starts all over again with the antlers growing in bigger with each passing year.
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People in Rock Springs are calling this mule deer buck Steve the Survivor. He was reportedly severely mangled when he was struck by a car a couple of years ago. But he has just kept going and living his best life, his favorite food is crabapples. (Courtesy Daxton Staley) -
People in Rock Springs are calling this mule deer buck Steve the Survivor. He was reportedly severely mangled when he was struck by a car a couple of years ago. But he has just kept going and living his best life, his favorite food is crabapples. (Courtesy Daxton Staley)
A Few Injured Deer Around Town
Steve isn’t the only deer with old injuries in Rock Springs, Animal Control Officer Lydia Gomez told Cowboy State Daily.
“There are a few bucks that we have been called about,” Gomez said. “Game and Fish is also aware of the deer. They have old injuries, and are able to get around and eat, (so) Game and Fish leaves them alone.”
He’s Not Pathetic, He’s Tough
Some people think Steve the Survivor is pathetic. But Staley doesn’t think that’s the right way to regard the tenacious buck.
“A lot of people have seen him, and some people were talking about how sad it is,” he said.
Steve doesn’t seem to be sad at all, Staley said.
“He’s been munching on the neighbor’s crabapples” and appears to have plenty of energy, he said.
Staley said when he watches Steve, he doesn’t feel pity. He feels inspired.
“He’s a symbol of perseverance,” Staley said. “He’s definitely a cool deer, and he’s tough.”
Contact Mark Heinz at mark@cowboystatedaily.com
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
CASPER, Wyo. — High school athletics in Wyoming could see some drastic changes in the coming years following legislative changes to the state’s education budget, the Wyoming High School Activities Association recently announced in a statement.
According to the WHSAA, Wyoming school districts are facing a projected $3.9 million shortfall in activities funding, forcing officials to consider significant cuts to high school sports and extracurricular programs.
The WHSAA shared details regarding a new “silo” funding model implemented by the Legislature, stating that the recalibrated block grant model reduced funding for student activities and extra-duty responsibilities from $46.3 million to $42.4 million, an approximately 8.4% decrease statewide.
WHSAA Commissioner Trevor Wilson said the restructuring also restricts district access to an additional $76.2 million in previously flexible funding.
“A significant portion of the [April 28 WHSAA Board of Directors] meeting was dedicated to discussing the projected funding shortfall,” Wilson wrote.
The WHSAA is weighing several strategies to address rising costs with fewer resources. Proposed changes include eliminating regional tournaments and reducing the number of teams qualifying for state events from eight to four; limiting wrestling to two classes and restricting track and field state participants to the top 16 marks; making cuts to soccer, indoor track and field, Nordic and Alpine skiing, swimming and diving, spring golf and tennis; and reducing in-person speech and debate events by half and centrally locating All-State Music events to minimize travel. The board also recommended increasing gate admission or implementing student participation fees to offset costs.
While the WHSAA release states that no plans have been finalized and the various changes are currently just possibilities, Natrona County School District 1 Board of Trustees member Mary Schmidt criticized the WHSAA’s handling of the news at Monday’s board meeting.
“I take some issues with this, [including] the sheer fact that we as Board of Trustees members have not talked about that at all,” Schmidt said. “It is not our intent and it has not been brought to us to cut our athletics or activities budget for the upcoming school year. … I take issue with them picking sports and getting the community upset and ginning them up to be upset that this is all going to be cut when that hasn’t been discussed.”
Later in the meeting, Superintendent Angela Hensley clarified that Natrona County School District 1’s athletics and activities budget saw a reduction of roughly $550,000 in the coming year’s budget, but said the local school district does not plan to cut any sports.
“Thank you, Trustee Schmidt, for saying this, because I think people are wondering — we are not planning to cut athletics and activities for next year,” Hensley said. “We do have to take a look at our entire budget as we have talked about, as we learn more about these new rules that come in.”
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Republished with permission from Wyoming News Now, a TV news outlet covering the Cheyenne and Casper areas.
Cheyenne City Council has introduced a temporary moratorium, or pause, on new data center construction.
“The end goal is to actually have regulations in place, to have really heavy public involvement with this with data centers,” said Councilman Mark Moody.
The proposed ordinance is not a permanent ban on data centers and would not affect data centers currently under construction.
Councilman Moody says this is a bipartisan issue.
“I just want to make this clear, I’m not against data centers. We do need them from a national security perspective,” he said.
He said there needs to be more public input and regulations regarding data centers in Cheyenne.
The ordinance would require city staff to study data center impacts such as electricity usage, electricity tariffs, closed-loop cooling systems, groundwater impacts, agricultural impacts, and land value.
Cheyenne LEADS, the economic development corporation for Cheyenne and Laramie County, reported in November 2025 that there are 12 operational data centers in Wyoming, five under construction and plans for 43 data centers announced across the state.
“There needs to be more public input with this, and also to see how many we can sustain here in this community, cause there are talks of 43, and then another day 70. How many can we sustain here?” said Councilman Moody.
The proposed moratorium will now go to the Public Services Committee on Monday, May 18 at noon in the Municipal Building.
Sheridan will play in the North Regional Tournament at Gillette, while the South Regional Tournament will be played at Rock Springs.
North Regional Tournament at Gillette:
Checking record vs. highest team in the quadrant not involved in the tie, Thunder Basin gets the #1 Northeast seed over Campbell County, because the Lady Bolts went 3-1 vs. Sheridan, whereas the Lady Camels went 2-2.
Friday, May 15th:
(#1 NE) Thunder Basin vs. (#4 NW) Jackson – 11am
(#2 NW) Natrona County vs. (#3 NE) Sheridan – 11am
(#2 NE) Campbell County vs. (#3 NW) Kelly Walsh – 1pm
(#1 NW) Cody vs. (#4 NE) Worland – 1pm
Semi-Finals:
Thunder Basin/Jackson winner vs. Natrona County/Sheridan winner – 3pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Campbell County/Kelly Walsh winner vs. Cody/Worland winner – 5pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Consolation Round:
Thunder Basin/Jackson loser vs. Natrona County/Sheridan loser – 3pm LOSER OUT!
Campbell County/Kelly Walsh loser vs. Cody/Worland loser – 5pm LOSER OUT!
Saturday, May 16th:
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
2 10am winners vs. each other – 1pm 3rd Place
TBA vs. TBA – 1pm 1st Place
South Regional Tournament at Rock Springs:
Friday, May 15th:
(#1 SW) Laramie vs. (#4 SE) Torrington – 11am
(#2 SE) Cheyenne East vs. (#3 SW) Green River – 11am
(#2 SW) Rock Springs vs. (#3 SE) Wheatland – 1pm
(#1 SE) Cheyenne Central vs. (#4 SW) Cheyenne South – 1pm
Semi-Finals:
Laramie/Torrington winner vs. Cheyenne East/Green River winner – 3pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Rock Springs/Wheatland winner vs. Cheyenne Central/Cheyenne South winner – 5pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Consolation Round:
Laramie/Torrington loser vs. Cheyenne East/Green River loser – 3pm LOSER OUT!
Rock Springs/Wheatland loser vs. Cheyenne Central/Cheyenne South loser – 5pm LOSER OUT!
Saturday, May 16th:
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
2 10am winners vs. each other – 1pm 3rd Place
TBA vs. TBA – 1pm 1st Place
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