MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Bucks’ rallying cry — “fear the deer” — turned into a punchline Sunday afternoon when two deer burst through the glass doors of a Menomonie restaurant as patrons watched a Bucks playoff game.

The first deer apparently hurt itself, bloodying its snout and becoming dazed, said Jay Ouellette, general manager of the Stout Ale House. Two customers were able to safely wrestle it to the ground.

The other deer fled into a private room. Cornered deer can be dangerous because they kick and bite, but a restaurant worker managed to wrestle that animal down as well, Ouellette said.

“I could tell it was starting to get a little anxious,” he said. “There was definitely the possibility of injury.”

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The incident happened about 12:20 p.m. — shortly after the Bucks started Game 7 of their playoff series against Atlanta. There were about 30 customers in the restaurant at the time, many watching the game.

Bucks fans chant “fear the deer” in support of their team. After the deer broke in, customers joked that the cry had a new meaning to them.

“They were still kind of in disbelief, but everyone was having a good time with it,” Ouellette said.

Things could have been worse for one man who narrowly avoided being hit by the charging deer.

Surveillance video shows the man pausing in the lobby before walking outside and closing the door behind him. Moments later he jumps out of the way as the two bucks slam into the doors, tearing them off their hinges and spraying a shower of glass.

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Replacing the doors was expected to cost several thousand dollars, said David Burg, the restaurant’s vice president of operations. Insurance was expected to cover most of the cost, he said.

Ouellette said its the first time since the restaurant opened in 2006 that it’s had a problem with deer. There’s a golf course nearby that deer often visit but they never cross the large parking lot to the restaurant’s front door, he said.

“I think they just lost their bearings and got startled,” he said. “I’ve seen this happen on TV before, but I never thought it would happen around here. It was pretty amusing.”

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