A sobering start to the buck season

[Yokel Matt 918]

Finished work earlier than expected on Monday so popped over to a farm to zero my .223 which has recently had some work done on it. The farmer had made a passing comment about the number of deer he'd seen recently, one of which appeared in difficulty, so I took the 6.5x55 with me as well together with ammo for both guns, targets, bino's, sticks and a length of tarp to lie on so I was pretty loaded up. I noticed the kidney shaped ass of a roe buck on the other side of the hedge as I approached my zeroing patch so slowed up to get a closer look. He turned out to be a nice 6 pointer with a doe in tow. He was still in velvet and looked to be a nice animal so I decided to leave him for later in the season as I've a few IOU's to even out. The pair crossed the open gateway an continued down the hedgerow so, unpacking my burden and taking only the binos, 6.5 and sticks I approached the opening to get a better look at him... just a look

 

I must have watched him for a good 15 minutes and resigned myself to having to return another day to zero the .223 as the pair looked quite content to stay where they were. They eventually passed through the hedge into the field I'd been in but with a sorry addition to the group in the form of a old, gaunt doe with a badly damaged foreleg. The shoulder was frozen solid and extended in the saluting position looking like she was scratching her nose RTA, arthritis or being caught in a fence she looked pretty uncomfortable and stopped broadside a 60 meters with the buck and other doe doing likewise. Down she went only for the buck to stroll up and sniff her... the temptation was almost too much Waiting the remaining pair to move away without startling them further took another age but I didn't want to educate them.

 

 

She had A LOT of keds on her the thought of which still makes me scratch and, whilst the gralloch inspection appeared normal (she was not in-calf) there were some strange pods following the line of her trachia which I haven't come accross before

 

 

 

Anyway... with my first beast of the buck season being the mercy cull of a poor old doe in a sorry state things can only get better. Having said that I think it was the right decision

Edited April 14, 2011 by Local

[Hywel 53]

Good on you Local for making the right decision to end the suffering, no doubt the Doe had been struggling for some time.

[martin 332]

Hey bud,sad shame for the Doe,but,the lungs look a bit odd to me unless it is just the photo.There seems to be pale patches/lumps on each of the lungs which maybe a sign of TB mate,were the lymph nodes alright?

 

Martin

[Yokel Matt 918]

Hey bud,sad shame for the Doe,but,the lungs look a bit odd to me unless it is just the photo.There seems to be pale patches/lumps on each of the lungs which maybe a sign of TB mate,were the lymph nodes alright?

 

Martin

 

Hi matey - I see what you mean by the photo looking a bit suspect but I think it's just the angle and that the pluck was in a jumbled pile.. Other thank the hole they appeared ok - those two white lumps to the top right of the pic from exampe look well dodgy from the pic but I'd pulled the pluck back out the hedge to take the pic and air must have got trapped in the film layers. The lymph nodes were not suspect but those pods down the throat were odd so I gave the whole lot a good going over.

 

Hywell

 

She was an old girl anyway mate and this gammy let was certainly adding to her troubles.

Edited April 15, 2011 by Local

[Mickey Finn 3,081]

Hi Local, nice going on that injured doe! I was looking at your picture. Started wondering, our DNR had something about nodes in our regs.

 

http://www.michigan....32311--,00.html

 

Would those nodules be Hemal nodes? I've never noticed them myself.

 

ATB

[Squirrel_Basher 17,102]

Hi Local, nice going on that injured doe! I was looking at your picture. Started wondering, our DNR had something about nodes in our regs.

 

http://www.michigan....32311--,00.html

 

Would those nodules be Hemal nodes? I've never noticed them myself.

 

ATB

Think you have the answer mate .Ive seen this quite often to be honest but never took much notice as they are never inflamed or pus like .Definately the right thing to do Local mate .

[mattydski 560]

Good decision

Well done.

[damian 0]

It was a good thing you finished it off. Happy hunting, mate.