They were stranded there for several days, before being thrown a lifeline by a cop and his father, who were able to tow them to safety using hovercrafts.
Police officer James Kenison and his father, Doug, used ropes to secure the deer, who could barely stand-up, before dragging them to shore.
The dad-of-four, who also runs tour company MedCity Hovercraft, made several trips a quarter of a mile onto Albert Lea Lake in Minnesota to ensure each animal made it home safely.
James, 39, from Rochester, Minnesota, said: ‘I saw a Facebook photo of a deer on the ice and someone suggested we might be able to reach it on the hovercraft.
‘We knew it had been stuck out there for a few days so we prepared for the worst, but when we got there we found three of them - and they were in surprisingly good shape. I've no idea how they got so far out onto the lake.’
In the video James and Doug, 66, lasso the prostrate animals one by one and slowly tow them along the ice.
James said: ‘We were surprised that they were still full of energy and quite skittish, but when they realized we were there to help them they calmed down.
‘As we approached, one deer tried to come closer to us so I think they knew we were there to help them.’
However, after so long sat on the freezing lake the deer were exhausted and unable to climb the raised bank.
In footage filmed on James' GoPro head-cam, both men resort to physically lifting the tired animals onto steady ground.
This is the first year James has been running hovercraft tours of Albert Lea Lake, where temperatures can reach - 20C.
James, who also offers ice-fishing excursions, said: ‘In Southern Minnesota we hunt these things but if you're a true hunter you hunt on their terms.
‘These animals were in need of help and we gave them a fighting chance for their lives.
‘We just like hovering - so any chance to go out on them is an extra bonus.’
(Daily Mail - Dec 6, 2013)
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