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Trooper Dwayne Phillips rescued a deer from a residential swimming pool. (Photo courtesy State Police)

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A buck that somehow entered the back yard swimming pool of a Warren County homeowner and began to drown was rescued Friday by a New Jersey State Police trooper.

Trooper Dwayne Phillips was sent to a Harmony Township home when a worker found the deer in the pool and called police at 12:39 p.m. When Phillips arrived, it was apparent the deer had been struggling for quite some time in the water, police said.

"Now believe it or not, we don't necessarily teach recruits in the academy how to rescue drowning deer, but we do teach them how to think on their feet and adapt and improvise when a peculiar situation presents itself," New Jersey State Police posted on their Facebook page Sunday.

Phillips grabbed the buck by its antlers and pulled him from the water. Police said there's always a risk of serious injury when trying to rescue a drowning victim and even more of a risk when the victim is a wild animal, but Phillips handed the situation with ease.

Following the rescue, the deer was exhausted and remained on the ground for a while until he regained enough energy to stand. The deer later recovered and ran off, police said.

Trooper Rescues Drowning Deer The most rewarding thing that we can do as troopers is to save a life, human or animal. ... Posted by New Jersey State Police on Sunday, October 23, 2016

Police congratulated the trooper in the Facebook post with the hashtag #Attaboy.

"This trooper did an outstanding job!" state police said.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.