The white tail and mule deer are both abundant in southwestern North Dakota. Thus, it was only fitting that artist Gary Greff create a deer sculpture.

He wanted to build a sculpture in the technique known as shadowing. This method removes pieces of metal from the sculpture to accent the muscles and different parts of the deer’s body. It also gives the sculpture the affect of being a shadow.

Mr. Greff began construction on this sculpture by first drawing his design on a small piece of graph paper. He then covered the school gymnasium floor with paper and drew large squares on it corresponding to the final size of the sculpture. Then he transferred his original design to the paper. Next, he cut apart seven rusty oil well tanks. They were then welded together to form flat sheets of metal. The pattern was transferred to the metal using chalk.

The entire sculpture and accent pieces were cut out using a plasma cutter. Brace pieces were welded to the back of the deer to give it support. The deer was then flipped over to weld the front metal piece to the back braces. Cranes had to be rented to flip both deer.

After welding the front, the sculpture was moved to the site. Two cranes were hired to lift the deer onto flatbed trucks. Originally Mr. Greff anticipated no problems moving the deer down main street, but once on the street they encountered a problem. Two street lights formed a narrow spot that was not wide enough for the sculptures to pass through. One foot and antler had to be cut off in order to move the sculptures through the town of Regent. They were re-welded at the final site.

The County Sheriff escorted the sculpture to the site and directed traffic since the sculpture took up the whole road.

At the site, the deer was unloaded and laid on its face. The beams to support the sculpture were welded onto the deer.

It took over three months to weld the support pipes onto the sculpture. West Plains Electric, a local utilities company, drilled holes for the support pipes. Cranes were hired once again to help set the sculpture. Local farmers helped to pour cement for the pads that hold the sculpture in place. Cables were strung to ensure the safety and support of the sculpture. After allowing a week for the cement to dry, construction of a fence began. Large pipe was used to give the effect of deer jumping over a log fence.

After everything was completed, the rusty metal and pipe had to be sandblasted and primed. It was painted black to give a shadow effect. A bucket crane was rented in order for the artist to sandblast and paint the tall structure. The bucket didn’t quite reach to a full 70 feet in the air, so Mr. Greff industriously used a ladder. To reach the top of the deer he placed the ladder in the bucket and leaned it against the sculpture.

Stark County graveled the parking lot of the deer site for the convenience of travelers. A decorative rail fence was built around the site for accent and a bulletin board was put up for sharing information about the project. A shelter and picnic table were placed on the site to ensure tourists had a place to stop and rest. A playground made out of tires is planned for this site.

Specifications of the Deer

• Buck
  70 feet tall
  60 feet long
• Doe
  50 feet tall
  50 feet long