Originally Posted by
Topgun 3006
Is that a hole completely through the top of the skull where it's blue? It looks like a tine went in his eye and up through the skull with a lot of pressure in a fight during the rut. I don't know if he would have survived the injury, but I've seen pictures of bull elk with a tine broken off in their head and they were alive the following season with a full set of horns raring to go at it again!
I can't quite tell yet but but if I had to guess from what I can see it does look like he had an antler through his eye and broke his skull from the inside.
My guess is they got locked together with the antler in his eye socket and there was a struggle.
Like I said he was doing just fine but there was significant infection and I doubt he would have been doing just fine for much longer.
I don't believe this guy would have survived but you never know.
I thought maybe he had been shot. One of the hunters shot a buck and dropped it and a couple minutes later it just got up and trotted off but I can't find any holes in the hide.