Image copyright AP Image caption Other shoppers said the deer was caught within one minute of bursting into the grocery store

A deer burst through the glass doors of a supermarket and ran amok before being caught by a man shopping for medicine for his cold, local media report.

Robert Beck was shopping with his wife in the US state of Pennsylvania when they heard the commotion, he told the York Daily Record.

"Man, there's someone in here with a frickin' gun," Mr Beck, 45, recalled thinking after hearing a loud bang.

"When I seen it, it was game-on," said Mr Beck, who raises deer for meat.

When he spotted the doe running into the bakery section on Monday night, he trailed after it, then grabbed it by the neck and began leading it towards the door.

But it was spooked when it saw other customers, the newspaper reports, and kicked Mr Beck in the ribs, knocking him down.

"I think she was scared from all those people," Mr Beck said. "She was like, 'Oh my God, what the heck did I get myself into?'"

Two other shoppers, including another hunter, then came to help escort the deer back out of the front door.

Local police praised Mr Beck's response, but cautioned against the public getting involved with wild animals.

"There is too much risk of injury to the citizen," Northeastern Regional Police Chief Bryan Rizzo said.

"If the citizen is an experienced hunter or someone with experiencing wildlife then I would say they should use their own judgment," Mr Rizzo added.

"In this case, it was a hunter who had experience in handling live deer, and we are grateful for his intervention and quick thinking in getting the deer under control before the animal could injure anyone, itself or do more damage."

Mr Beck says that he raises 16 deer, which he uses for meat, and keeps them penned at home.

"My generation is a dying breed," he said. "People aren't into our lifestyle anymore. They'd rather sit at home and play a video game than enjoy the outside."