ironic....

[jerem0621]

I've been chasing a good six pointer all season. Finally was able to see him up close on last saturday. I wasn't able to get a clean shot on him and figured I would come back on Monday and catch him in a thicket. On my way to the hunting spot Monday morning I found my six point. He had been hit by a car and was lying dead in a ditch no more than 300 yards from where I was hunting.

I hate hunting close to a state highway, I've had three deer hit by cars from the area that I'm hunting. ARRGGGHHHHHHHH.......what a frustrating year. I find deer then the Hondas mow them down. lol

Jerem0621

 

[bigbore442001]

Don't feel bad. Vehicles kill the biggest deer each year. The Connecticut state record, which weighed over 300 lbs, was hit by a tractor trailer. It hangs at the state house.

 

[XXX]

Saw three blood-smeared collision sites on the interstate this morning within about a half mile of each other. This is the same stretch of road where the Mass State Police made such a big effort to prevent hunters from parking and hunting off the sides of the highway just last month.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Your seeing that all the wrong way. The State Police knew the deer weren't anywhere near that crossing, and were just trying to help hunters not waste their time there. Now, if the season was set a month later......

yeah, right!

Actually traffic regulation concerns don't take into account much of anything concerning the presense or lack of presense of deer. A lot of State troopers are also hunters. They were just doing their job to prevent accidents with people speeding into the areas, and not prepared to find someone pulling back out on the road in front of them until it is too late to stop. The lives they saved were probably some of the hunters.

 

[rabjr]

That does suck.

I went through something similar this year, only he's still alive or was up to a month ago. Many here remember the pic's and video's I've post in the past of "Handsome" a beautiful buck I've watched the last two years. He grew a very nice wide ten point rack this year that makes one I have hanging on the wall look small. That one has a 23" inside spread and scores 144 6/8. I got serious about hunting him this year...until I saw him come trough limping with a busted rack. I actually thought it was a different buck that frequented the area at first, until I got a closer look a few days later. I was horrified to realize it was "Handsome". His left side of his rack was broken off at the G3 and right side was broken at the G2 basically destroying it. He had a heavy limp, unable to put any weight on his right rear leg. I about cried I was so upset to see this animal this way. To me it would be a crime to shoot a buck like this unless it was a mercy killing. I watched him close and because he did not drag his rear leg, I could tell he was consciously trying to keep that hoof off the ground, I decided to let nature take it's course. He had no sign of open wounds. It was a hard thing to do, the last thing I wanted was for this animal thats ment so much to me the last two years to suffer but it looked to me he would recover. He was actively trying to chase Does.

This happened in Oct and I have seen him several time since through out Nov and early Dec limping around here. I have not seen him in 3 or 4 weeks now but I have to hope hes deep in the swamp healing up.

 

Folks think us hunters are heartless killers....read this thread and they might realize they couldn't be more wrong.

 

[rabjr]

Just to add..

My buddy came by tonight, he's still favoring that leg but walking better. Sometime in the month that I haven't seen him, he's dropped his broken rack. He looks in good shape and was glad to see him tonight.

 

[Finnwolf]

If he lives, remember him next year. Just maybe he's earned the right through a lot of pain and suffering to stick around a few more years. The pay off to that would be a lot of little Handsomes walking around the property.

Finnwolf

 

[jethro224]

Bummer on the 6 pointer jerem. I hate seein' 'em wasted, layin' in the ditch. Were you able to at least get the rack?

Swampy,
Good to hear Handsome is still kickin'! :thumbsup: Don't be surprised if he has a different rack next year. I read somewhere that when whitetail deer get leg injuries it can make 'em grow a non-typical antler. Seems like it was front leg = same side antler, rear leg = opposite side antler that grows different. I hope you get to see him in the fall and find out if the theory holds.

 

[Protrucker]

Don't be surprised if he has a different rack next year. I read somewhere that when whitetail deer get leg injuries it can make 'em grow a non-typical antler. Seems like it was front leg = same side antler, rear leg = opposite side antler that grows different. I hope you get to see him in the fall and find out if the theory holds.

I've heard & seen the same thing. My first bowkill was a small 10 point buck that had 6 on one side & four on the other. The 6th point is pointing straight forward from tha main beam just below the brow tine on the right antler. When we were cutting up the meat, we found a ball of grizzel in the left hind quarter. Inside of the grizzel we found a broad head. Someone had made a bad hit on that deer in a prior year. There was no open wound or any indication that the deer had ever been hurt before. I hunted that deer hard that year (1976) & watched him a lot before I finally got a shot at him. He didn't even have the slightest limp when he walked.

 

[rabjr]

I've had the privilege of watching/filming him the last two years and hope to again this new year. I think he's probably going on 5 years old this year. My avatar is a pic I took of him two years ago. Whenever he came into the field when ten beta or broken horn was there they always gave him room and there was a definite size difference between them. I believed he had a year on the other two bucks.

Theres a swelling at the joint where the lower leg meets the upper part, all I have been able to see on that leg. Hopefully it don't effect his antler growth but if it does it does. He had grown a beautiful wide rack this year before loosing it to a car. I can't imagine what he's going to grow this year.

 

[DBox]

I wish I had kept up with the deer involved accidents I have worked in the last 10 years, probably close to 100. We carried S&W 4586 .45 ACPs until about a year ago when we swapped to Glocks. That S&W killed 13 deer, 1 bull and a hog, all involved in accidents during 9 years of service. It now has a home here.

 

[petemi]

A couple of years ago in October, at about 10 on a Sunday morning my closest neighbor, about 1/3 mile down the road, pulled in my drive. She said your dog is in the road. Well, my beagles don't go in the road, so I said thanks, and went out there. Here's Bodertha munching smashed deer parts in the ditch.

It was a big deer, saw no antlers, ran the dog back to the house and got the tractor with the front end loader. I got back and rolled the deer onto the manure forks. It was all I could do to turn it over. What was looking me in the face? The largest set of male deer equipment I have ever seen. I immediately looked at the head and saw that the antlers had been cut off at the base!

I'm sure it was the same deer I'd hunted for two years and never got a clear shot at. He had been a beautiful typical twelve that fall, and I was anxious for a date with him in November or December. He as never seen again by myself or others.

We live on a road that bypasses the state highway, so Saturday night drinkers use it alot. Probably smoffed him after 2 when the bars close.