mobow

I guess sometimes that's the price they pay for sitting tight....bummer.

I agree though, it almost looks staged. Very CLEAN...no blood or anything, and it's ironic that the bucks head was DIRECTLY in between the cutters......I'm gonna have to call bluff on this one.

Bols

Actually, we have had a few instances like this happen to us.

Not specifically deer, but raccoons, dogs, etc who were alive at the time of getting pulled in by the gathering chains on the head.

The worse part is, often, the reverser, which sends the chains and feederhousein the opposite direction, gets stuck. Guess what happens then? You get out and pull the dead or half dead animal out of the gathering chains.

I am going to assume that this deer was either wounded or dead when he got stuck in the head. But then again, there's a reason why we sometimes get that, "deer in the headlights" look.

Doubled 150

Things like that happenwith farm equipment. My dad has hit turkeys and othersmall animalsbefore while cutting hay. My uncle has hit a deer before cutting wheat. They hear the noise and just lay low until, sometimes, it's too late.

burniegoeasily

Holy cats. I guess that saves a few steps in processing it into hamburger.

Bols

Actually, sometimes there might be no blood at all depending the size of the gap between the stripper plates, knife rolls, gathering chains.

It would actually break the neck first, probably before breaking the hide. You gotta remember, those hides are thick, and the main job of the chains is to gather, the knife rolls below the deers neck is what actually cuts the stalk.

I am assuming the farmer caught it at the last second and quickly stopped the machine. Therefore, he may have only gotten the neck stuck in the gathering chains.

Just my assumption though.

sunset

This was not staged. It was an unfortunate, sad, and expensive fix for the farmer. My friend sent me a series of pics. I won't post the gross ones where they removed the poor thing.
I have run lots of farm equipment over the years. Deer aren't afraid of it. This one sat too tight for too long though, like mobowhntr said.

Bols

Hey Sunset, what did it actually break?

From looking at the pictures, I can't really tell. Everything seems to be intact.

Bols

P.S. As you can see from the pictures though, the knife rolls just started to get into the neck region. The gathering chains got ahold of the neck and started to bring the "material" into the cornhead. Just like it's suppose to do.

sunset

Another farmer friend of mine was combining a few years ago & stuck a dead deer that had an arrow in it. It was real ripe. He got off of the combine to clean the mess. The smell overtook him & he upchucked right then & there. It was a beautiful deer though. He saved the rack & arrow & mounted them. It was either an 8 or 10 point, can't remember for sure.

mexhuntr

mmmmmmm sucks, don't like it!

sunset

Not sure exactly Bols. He's a friend of my friend.