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Limping deer

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BSK

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I didn't want to highjack Doskil's post "Is this deer injured?" thread, so decided to create another on this topic.

Ever since I started using video trail-cameras instead of still image, I'm blown away by how many bucks - primarily older bucks - that are limping on a front leg by the end of the rut. I'm really shocked by it. At first, I - like most hunters - assumed any buck limping heavily on a front leg had been injured by another hunter or hit by a car. And I'm sure a few have been. Been when you can see no obvious injuries - no bullet or arrow wound, and no obviously broken leg from a car collision - it makes you wonder. Considering we have very little hunting pressure surrounding us, and very little car traffic (like zero) near the parts of the property where we see them most limping bucks, I'm beginning to believe that once you hit a certain density if older bucks, they just end up beating the crap out of each other during the rut. We see plenty of signs of fighting by the end of November: broken tines, broken off beams, and bucks with obvious facial injuries. One of my BILs shot a nice 3 1/2 year-old 7 point (8-point with broken of G3 tine), and the buck's right side of his face was so swollen that his right eye was swollen shut, and it looks like he has a major abscess just under the skin. While skinning him out I found numerous festering antler wounds in the buck's neck and chest.

I'm sure I only started noticing this because of the switch to video trail-cameras, but all this antler damage and limping around seems new. Anyone else noticing a major increase in bucks with battle wounds?
 
It really is amazing how tough some of these deer are. Most older bucks killed usually have some sort of scar, etc. on them and most always have some broken tines. My son killed an 8 pt this year that every tine was broken on the end. They were to the point where the tips were actually rounded. I didn't really notice how rounded they were until boiling it for a euro mount this past weekend. He had no obvious injuries but makes me wonder how in the world he managed to round the tips of his antlers off. You can see it a little bit in this picture.

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@BSK also on a side note, I'd be interested to see a thread posted of your success this year with pics. It sounds like you all had a good year and enjoy following your trail cam pics, etc for the year but would like to see the success as well. I know you killed a good deer in muzzleloader but think you continued to hunt some too.
 
TN Larry said:
It really is amazing how tough some of these deer are. Most older bucks killed usually have some sort of scar, etc. on them and most always have some broken tines. My son killed an 8 pt this year that every tine was broken on the end. They were to the point where the tips were actually rounded. I didn't really notice how rounded they were until boiling it for a euro mount this past weekend. He had no obvious injuries but makes me wonder how in the world he managed to round the tips of his antlers off. You can see it a little bit in this picture.

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@BSK also on a side note, I'd be interested to see a thread posted of your success this year with pics. It sounds like you all had a good year and enjoy following your trail cam pics, etc for the year but would like to see the success as well. I know you killed a good deer in muzzleloader but think you continued to hunt some too.
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IMO-I think that's just the way the antlers are on some deer
 
I think it changes year to year on our farm. This year I got one buck with a G3 broken on camera and seen from stand. + there are a couple of wonky half racks. Not much evidence of fighting.

3 or 4 years ago it was fight club. Had a BIG bodied 8 with two broken tines, 3 other bucks with snapped tines and while I was watching that big 8 during MZ a spike came up the log road with one eye hanging out and blood on his face. He saw that big 8 Fluffed up his fur and postured. The big 8 did a couple of those slow "dont make me come over there" steps and the spike booked it. Then there was limpy the young 5 point that was all over the farm from bow into gun. Right front leg had a problem of some sort. Shot a big bodied 7 that year (thought it was the big 8) with a broken tine and it had some yellow funk around the front shoulder/knee area. No visible puncture wound so it could have been a car or a fight.
 
Below is a prime example of what I'm talking about. This is one of our better surviving 3 1/2 year-olds. In the first video, you can clearly see he can hardly put any weight on his front left leg. But in the close-up second video, I can see no injury on his front left leg or shoulder. I probably have 5 older bucks like this now on my place - heavily limping on a front leg but no visible injuries.
 

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My neighbor found a dead older buck that had a jagged puncture wound thru his forehead into the brain as the only wound we could find as a cause of death. figured it was from fighting..
 
These older bucks can get downright brutal and it's a bar fight to the death if necessary. Their slender legs were meant for running and jumping not fighting. Even if they survive the fight, they probably succumb later to elevated cortisol levels that shutdown their organs. Nature can be brutal for survival of the fittest.
 
I am amazed at how tough they are, the urge to breed is so strong that it blots everything out but getting it done, here is 1 I shot a few years ago following a doe, hole poked out bottom side of neck and ripped on top
 

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This had some bad infection so wound had to be a few weeks old, love to have seen what did it
 

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mike243 said:
This had some bad infection so wound had to be a few weeks old, love to have seen what did it
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The big one I killed a three years ago had a very similar spot on back of his neck. It was bald a couple of inches around a 1.5-2 inch hole as big around as my little finger that was right over his spine. Guessed he had been scratching the itch from that wound and rubbed all the hair off it.
 
Yes, I had an older 4.5+ buck this year with a limp to him and no apparent injuries. Have watched him for the last 2 seasons and he is easily identifiable due to his bull horn shape to his rack, this year he has long wide main beams with no G2s, G3s, etc except a crab claw on one side with atleast 8-10in brow tines and had a video of him fighting one of my better 8 points last year on Christmas eve night. The next night the 8 point was broke off and missing half his rack. This year the 2 times I have seen him passing by my camera was a couple weeks ago and he had a pretty good front leg limp with no noticeable injuries to him so I was thinking this guy just loves to fight!
 
I think a lot of injury is from fighting for sure but have always wondered how many leg injuries happen from stepping in a hole or some other way of landing odd as they're running through the woods. I primarily wear hiking boots these days with major ankle support for the limited time I'm in the woods so just imagine what they could step in.
 
BSK said:
Below is a prime example of what I'm talking about. This is one of our better surviving 3 1/2 year-olds. In the first video, you can clearly see he can hardly put any weight on his front left leg. But in the close-up second video, I can see no injury on his front left leg or shoulder. I probably have 5 older bucks like this now on my place - heavily limping on a front leg but no visible injuries.
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Could the terrain have something to do this? I have not observed any none hunting injury with deer living along the Miss. river and its delta.
 
In the last ten years on our farm, I've seen way more injuries and busted racks than ever before. I've found one mature dead buck with obvious puncture wounds on his chest and abdomen. I've seen several busted racks this year so far.

The 4.5 year old nine point that I killed last year had two busted tines and a couple inches of a main beam broken. I killed him in mid December as he limped toward me on an injured front leg that had already begun to atrophy. He'd lost a ton of weight, and only dressed 130 pounds, but I'd had him close to me in October on two occasions, and there's little doubt in my mind he'd have dressed at least 180 pounds, and been among the top body weights for bucks that I've taken.

Whether his injury was from a bullet or another buck, I'm not sure.
 
We're down the street now and I passed on a small 8 point last night that was limping badly. He was favoring his left shoulder and he was scrawny as all get out. Ther spike that was with him had to outweigh him by a good 40 pounds or so. Looking at a recent picture of him his foot is noticeably swollen.
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Moving to video has definitely shown a lot more limping deer that would have otherwise gone unnoticed on pics alone. Quite a few actually. I think it's just a common thing, and one that leads to death eventually. If they're in a field, or anywhere for that matter, and coyotes see that, their predatory instincts will pick that up when they see it. Just part of it
 

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