Wounded Buck

[Shawnee]

On another thread (that I don't recall the title of) I mentioned a buck near my home that had been wounded early this Spring by someone with a .270 - but survived - except one of his forelegs has been crippled and permanently curled under him like a pointing dog. My neighbors got a photo of him near their pond earlier this evening...





Except for the crippled leg (which is "frozen" in that position) he looks to be in pretty good shape.

 

[JShirley]

He's a pretty guy. Thanks for the picture.

John

 

[Ridgerunner665]

That he is...

Deer are pretty "hardy" animals...I found 2 broadheads in a buck I killed a few years back...covered in scar tissue, but completely healed over. No arrows...just the broadheads.

1 was in his hindquarters and 1 was just behind his diaphragm (missed the vitals and the guts....right in between them).

 

[birdshot8's]

i could not tell from the photo, but is his left antler more developed than the right beam. i had heard a buck would grow more antler on the side opposite an injury. i am curious about how you could tell he had been shot with a 270. nice buck i am glad he has survive his wound.

 

[qwert65]

looks like he damaged his extensors prob radial nerve

 

[publiuss]

Take the poor thing out when the season arrives. this time use a real man's rifle, a 30-06.

 

[rondog]

I agree. The humane thing to do would be to end his suffering as soon as season starts, if the DOW won't do it.

 

[Shawnee]

My place and my non-hunting neighbors' place to the south are more or less surrounded by farmland owned by the farmer who has me culling deer on his crop damage permits. The non-hunters actively manage their 50+ acres for wildlife, including putting hay and deer corn by their pond year-around.

The non-hunters and the farmer and I are all friends, and we got together and decided that, as long as this buck can stay as healthy as he is right now, we would try to protect him, even during hunting season. The plan was to induce him to change his "residence" from the edge of the beanfields to the woods on the non-hunters' property - which borders their pond on two sides.
That way he could hide out close to a ready, dependable food/water supply and out of the way of any dangers (except maybe coyotes).

The non-hunters laid a trail of corn (furnished by the farmer) from the beanfield fencerow to the pond (about 1/4 mile !) and it worked. The buck seems to have moved into the woods as they have seen him there every day for the passed 4 or 5 days. He'll have the other 20 or so deer feeding at the pond as aides for warning of any danger too, so we're hopeful he'll be fine.

I suppose I could shoot him if he was really bad-off but I would still feel like crap.

 

[JR1]

For those that recommend killing the deer to put him out of misery, you are just wrong. Many, many deer and other wild animals live long and successful lives with injuries like this one. I've seen deer missing legs completely which lived for years. Nature can be cruel, but deer have an uncanny ability to survive.

The fact he is growing a solid rack means he is pretty healthy. It takes a lot of energy and calories to grow those things and he is doing very well.

Either take him ethically during hunting season and feel good about it, or protect him and let him live his life out in peace.

 

[birdshot8's]

shawnee, your deer may stay put until the rut. you will need a trail of does to keep him home after the rut begins.

 

[Shawnee]

LOLOL !

Yea, he could get "restless". But the does will find him. There are 7 or 8 does raising fawns on or very near that property now and there will be more using the property for haven/feed in the Fall so he won't have to go far. He'll have competition though as there are at least 6 big bucks and at least that many "medium-sized" bucks in the area too. The last time I went out looking to cull some does I saw 11 bucks including a group of five - four of which were good 8-pointers - and I was out less than 2 hrs.

 

[Jst1mr]

I think that was really one of your famous .243's, Shawnee....come on now, admit it!!

 

[Olympus]

Put him out of his misery? Let somebody say that to you when you lose a limb! As long as the deer is able to eat, drink, and maintain heath, he will develop adaptations to help overcome the loss of leg function.