WINTERSVILLE, Ohio -- A 7-year-old Wintersville boy is recovering after being attacked by a deer while he was playing out in the yard. One of his older buddies jumped in and fought the deer off with a stick.

What started as a regular game of football in a back yard took a dangerous turn Saturday. No one would have ever guessed a deer would come out of nowhere to make the tackle.

"We were playing football and the ball rolled down into the woods. I went to go get it and the deer starting charging at me," said 7-year-old Brandon Hiles.

The deer stuck its horns into Hiles then flipped him over. The proof is in his bruises and the gash where the horn went in.

Luckily, his friend, 9-year-old Wyatt Pugh, jumped in to help.

"I started running, but then I looked back and he was getting attacked and I grabbed a stick and started beating it," said Pugh.

They got away and ran to Pugh’s grandma to call 911.

"You know the deer is there, but I would always think, well if anybody gets really close he's going to run. But he didn't," said Mary Ann Pugh.

Wintersville Patrolman Art Fowler Jr. and his K-9 Ali got to the scene quick. Dashcam video showed the deer right after the attack just waltzing past the cruiser.

"The male deer are coming into rut. What that means is, they're starting to get aggressive. Their hormones are starting to come into play," said Fowler.

Fowler said the deer was actually headed for another fight.

"There were two young male bucks in the area and the one child got in between the two and the deer basically attacked him," said Fowler.

Both boys are doing just fine now and their parents are happy things didn’t turn out worse.