Can a deer survive a gun shot wound?

[dirz1]

I was rifle hunting on 12/9 and a very small spike buck walked up by my treestand. It had what looked like a gun shot wound to it's back leg. The wound was on the joint area of the leg. The leg was definitely broken and the wound looked like the size of a small lemon. Unfortunately this deer is a protected deer due to the small spikes. I really wanted to put it out of it's misery. It was able to get around and feed itself. Do you think this deer will make it? or will it suffer a slow painful death? The deer was on private land and food availability shouldn't be a problem during the winter.

[deerslayer223]

that deer should be just fine. He'll adjust to having that leg screwed up and be doing his normal routine like nothing we ever wrong. I bet you see him next year.

[dirz1]

Well that is good. I felt unethical by not shooting it but I didn't want to do anything illegal either.

[chr103yod]

If it's just the back leg I would say it has a real good chance of making it. Deer are incredibly tough. We seen a doe when we were spotting one time that was missing both its front legs at the knee joint. I don't know if it was born that way or they were shot off but she still got around OK.

[doctariAFC]

If you ever want to know how tough a deer is, just hang around your friendly neighborhood deer processor. A few years ago, I was talking with the guy that normally butchers my deer, while he was cutting caping a deer out, and after he pulled the hide he pointed to this animal's front leg. He said, "Look at that! This deer either broke its knee, or it got shot. Always find it amazing when they do this."

Of course, what he was referring to when he said "....they do this" was the phenomenon of the animal growing a new knee joint. You could see the old knee joint, which healed up basically fused, and then below it a new knee joint had actually grown in. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it first hand. Wish I took a picture.

[kenman]

If that deer has to deal with snow, especially deep snow, unfortunately he will be a coyote snack.

[KoBear]

yea, i dunno where you're from since u dont have it listed, but as long as it doesnt get infected, and it dodges them coyotes, it'll do just fine.

in my experience hunting, i've seen deer with broken legs, arrows in their backs, and bullet wounds to their heads heal over and live pretty normally.

[Rob/PA Bowyer]

It could have been a car accident deer and had a bone injury. I have a fine 8 point on my wall over my computer desk that I call the cripple buck. It's femur was sticking out of it's back right leg/broken and gimpy. The hoof was folded under and it was locked. The buck walked on it, the top of the hoof was scared over. The bone sticking out was healed over and he still grew a normal rack. The injury had to be an year old.

[rybohunter]

Deer do fine with 3 good legs.

[mauser06]

ive seen them completely missing a leg and still running good with the rest of the herd...they are amazing animals...that deer you seen should be fine...so long nothing major was hit and infection doesnt take hold.

i was hunting with a guy the last day of the 2 week rifle season...he killed a monster 10pt..his wife shot it OPENING day..hit it in the leg with a 243...2 inches higher it would been in the heart..bullet looked like it exploded when it hit the leg bone..big nasty open wound. that buck was sick. infection set in and it was NASTY...the buck was skinny and scraggly lookin when the guy killed him. he was laying on the edge of a SGLs foodplot..he got up and ran just fine...but he was hurtin and sick...he wouldnt made it another week. the guy called us and said it was nasty infected and it spread pretty far..didnt look like he ate in the 2 weeks he was injured..no doubt he would have died...i think it was a spot he couldnt get to to lick and clean..i dont know..but it was nasty infected..in cases like that they have a smaller chance of making it..