Emergency crews called to investigate a possible explosion at a business Wednesday arrived only to discover they were dealing with a disaster created by a four-legged creature.

The evidence: a trail of bloody hoofprints.

In the end, a Montgomery County sheriff's deputy had to shoot a charging eight-point buck, authorities said.

A worker next door to Trans Ionic Corp. on Timberloch Place called authorities shortly after 8 a.m. to report what sounded like an explosion, officials said.

A deputy who responded to the call reported that a window was broken and the office area significantly damaged.

The county fire marshal and agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called as a precaution. The Woodlands Fire Department, its hazardous material team and Conroe's hazmat team also arrived.

Fire marshal investigator Darren Hess said the scene had the initial appearance of a break-in, and as he and ATF officials checked for secondary explosive devices, they saw spatters of blood on the floor.

Once investigators determined there was no explosive device, sheriff's Sgt. Dwayne Finley and the firefighters went inside to look around.

"It was crazy," said Woodlands Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Walker. "We didn't know what was going on."

Walker said he told another firefighter he bet a deer was to blame and that he had noticed hoofprints in the flower beds in front of the building. When they went inside, they saw bloody tracks on the carpet.

"The deer had gone in every one of the offices and was tearing everything up," he said. "Chairs were knocked over and papers were everywhere."

As fire officials searched the building, Finley continued to check the offices in the back. When he entered the last office, the deer jumped up from behind a desk and tried to attack the deputy with his antlers, sheriff's officials said.

"The deer went berserk and tried to go through the window and charged at the sheriff's deputy," Walker said.

Finley shot the deer before the animal could harm him.