Local Deer

[RobS]

This guy has been hanging around lately, with a broken leg.

 

[JB4310]

Great clear picture, wonder what her survival odds are with a broken leg, even though it is getting to the end of the winter, probably not to high. A little gaunt, but still looks fairly healthy.

 

[RobS]

I was thinking of putting out some hay for him (her?). I'm sure the coyotes will take care of it at some point but I do like the photo-ops in the meantime.

 

[weldingisfun]

Contact your local game warden. He should be put down. That would be more humane compared to what he will be facing.

 

[ByronBob]

Contact your local game warden. He should be put down. That would be more humane compared to what he will be facing.

I can't help but think that this is the cycle of life. And if the coyotes get it then so be it. Other than the limp leg, this deer looks good for this time of the year.

 

[jinman]

I was thinking of putting out some hay for him (her?). I'm sure the coyotes will take care of it at some point but I do like the photo-ops in the meantime.

Last year, we had a one-legged wild turkey we nicknamed Pogo. Pogo lasted for a long time, jumping along on one leg with the rest of the flock, but finally disappeared. This year we have another turkey hen with a broken leg. We named her Hop-along. So far, Hop-along is still surviving.

 

[sunspot]

I had a lame doe coming on my land every year for about three years. Her rear leg was bad. She would stand with all four legs but ran with three. She was a mean one. Any time another doe came close, she would rear up and kick with the good leg. Deer are a bit scarce this year.

 

[RobS]

Another pic of our deer from tonight...

 

[archerynut]

I have one young buck thats been around since last year and he is missing a part of his rear leg. Gets around pretty good though. Also have a doe with a lame rear leg, but she is fat and gets around pretty well also. Not too much predation (except from me), so these deer last longer than I would have thought. I think most of the injuries here are from deer-car collisions.

 

[archerynut]

Here's the injured buck and of injured doe.

 

[RobS]

Very nice archerynut. This deer seems to be just fine other than when it (he/she?) tries to run. It gets around very well, but not quite as well as a healthy deer in panic mode. I'm wondering if it isn't a pregnant doe. How would I know that?

 

[BB_TX]

Having hunted for over 40 yrs, I have seen many deer with bad legs. Some had obviously been shot, others of unknown injuries. Most appeared to be old wounds and the deer seemed to be doing fine. One nice buck I saw with a bad front leg limped when he walked, but ran like he had no problem at all.
Fences are tough on deer. Over the years we have found two deer (or what was left of them) hanging from a fence they had tried to jump and got a leg caught. And a couple years ago as my son and I were leaving our deer lease and had just pulled on to the county road, we saw a doe in the ditch with a hind leg caught in the fence. She was still alive and apparently had only got caught just before we got there. We carefully pulled the wire apart until she could pull free. She was off and gone without even a thank you.

 

[Roady]

I've seen 3 legged deer running with a pack of healthy dear and you can't even tell the difference. While I'm all for having something put down to end its suffering, a broken leg on a deer does not count in my book. They seem to adjust just fine.

Roady

 

[scott_vt]

Good Evenin Rob,
I can only hope that deer makes it through the winter !!! They are still quite fast on three legs as opposed to four !

Nice shot !

 

[RobS]

Good Evenin Rob,
I can only hope that deer makes it through the winter !!! They are still quite fast on three legs as opposed to four !

Nice shot !

Thanks Scotty, we may very well be over the hump on winter. My youngest son and I went for a walk this evening and ended up hanging out on the street with several neighbors. I think everyone had the bug to be out. The neighbors right next to us have seen this deer as well and we all agreed it will probably be fine. I still want to put out some feed, if only to increase my photo ops. I stopped at a local place on the way home tonight but they didn't have anything suitable.

 

[archerynut]

I have seen quite a few 3 legged or injured deer around the suburban area in which I live. I try to take the injured ones if they present a shot but they are still tough sometimes. That three legged buck has been around for two years and runs fine but does make a heck of a racket coming down hills on the dry crunchy leaves in the fall. That buck also would be considered a "protected" deer around here by the infinite wisdom of the PA game comission because of antler restricitons that are in place. The injury that the doe has is more recent and must have happened in the past few months or she just moved into the area, no pics of injured doe before christmas.

 

[RickS]

I stopped at a local place on the way home tonight but they didn't have anything suitable.

Rob, deer will eat lots of things. When I was a kid we raised several fawns who were orphaned. We were good friends with the game warden and he would get calls about a mother deer who had been killed by a car and the fawn was just laying besider her. We only lost a few fawns. Most lived and eventually just drifted into the brush (we lived out in the country). Anyway, they loved bread, potato peelings, apple cores and lots of other things. You don't have to buy special food for them. Kitchen scraps will work great.

 

[RobS]

Thanks Rick, I figured as much though I'm not too interested in fattening up the groundhogs any too much!

 

[MossRoad]

You get enough ground hog pelts you can make hats for the whole Boy Scout Troop.

 

[6string]

just wanted to throw this in: