FRIENDSHIP — We didn’t have much to go on, but this photo and a short message, ”Scott Simmons of Friendship, heading out to haul passed by this deer floating by on an iceberg.”

Actually, we spoke with Simmons’ wife, Samantha, and she said the photo was taken Friday morning in Morse’s Channel in Friendship. Scott was headed out to fish for lobster.

“It was the first day he has been about to go out this month because he’s been iced in,” said Samantha Simmons.

Samantha said it’s the first time she or her husband have seen anything like it, and it was a surreal sight.

As for what became of the deer after the photo was taken, Samantha said, “He just snapped the photo and that’s as much as I know.”

Scott Simmons followed up with another call, and said he was headed out to fish around 8:30 this morning, and had to come back in to fix a frozen line when he saw the deer on the patch of ice...floating along.

“It was the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen, and I know I wont’ see anything like it again in my lifetime,” said Simmons.

Scott also said he wanted us to know that the deer did make it to land.

“It was probably a buck, because this is the time of year they drop their antlers, and it was more skittish than I expected it to be,” said Scott. “I tried to get closer for a better photo, but it jumped overboard and began swimming to shore.”

This has been a long, strange, winter to be sure.

Reach Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com