Found my target buck dead
 

Went out shed hunting a few days ago and caught a glimpse of a pile of deer hair. Curious I went and checked it out and what I found about made my heart fall into my stomach.

I had this buck on my trail cam for most of the season and last time I had him on camera was well after rifle season so I was excited he survived! It stinks he didnt make it, meat was still very fresh on the carcass so I assume it was just a tough winter for him.

Rough scored him at 154 2/8.....any guess on age?


Trail Cam

WOW. Shame that HE didn't make it.....Atleast you have the rack right?

BB

Thats a crazy shed story right there.......

I don't think a deer like that (in it's prime) died of natural causes, i would suspect an archer, or a poacher. I am sure glad you were rewarded with the antlers. Do a European mt and post some pictures. Should make a wonderful memory. Doc

I'm guessing 4 1/2 or 5 1/2. You can always get a taxidermist to put another cape on him if you want it mounted.

That sucks!! I feel for you!!

Say - I noticed on your pics it appears that buck has a growth on his brisket!

To me it looks like a tumor (the lunp) I see occasionaly on dogs.

JW

Bucks will rut themselves almost to death, fight till they are hurt and can't get well enough to live through winter. Happens all the ime up north.

I noticed that bump on his chest too. COuld that possibly have anything to do with it? to bad you couldn't get him, but at least you got a good piece to remember him by, heck of a buck
-Jake

Yeah it is hard to say what happened to him. Some factors would be proximity to roads and other hunters. It was a very tough winter. Don't think you guys got the 6 inches of sleet/ice that we had up here, under another 6 in of snow.

I would say 5.5 yrs., maybe 4.5

And I would suspect someone with a gun taking a poke with a prayer. Believe it or not, gunhunters wound and lose deer too.

Wow, heck of a deer! Sorry you didn't get to harvest him yourself. Like already's been said, he would make a good skull mount or get a mount with a new cape, he would look good. On the bright side, at least you know hes had time to pass down some good genes. Hope you find another good one to hunt next year.

I would say he's at least 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 years old,lots of mass to his Antlers and a nice Big Body so he has a little age on him for sure!Thats a shame to find him like that,he would have been a heck of a Brute in 2011. :(


I found a nice Big 10-Point Buck dead on our Farm last year,I had several trail camera pictures of him and Bow Hunted him for 2 years.I ended up calling the local Game Warden and got a reciept to keep the Buck and I took him to my local Taxidermist and he re-Caped him and he's graces my wall in all his former glory!If You have a lot of history with Your Buck I would either have a European Mount made of the head or re-Cape him and enjoy him as he would have been.I have a series of trail camera pictures I plan on hanging on the wall besides my 10-Pointer so I can enjoy it along with the refurbished Mount. :)

Yea I plan on definitely getting a cape and mounting him, I do taxidermy on the side so thats a FOR SURE thing lol

I did find tracks in the snow about 2 weeks or so before I found him and they had this reddish brownish junk dripping all around them. I followed them and the deer was walking in circles....as you noticed his feet were huge so I am kinda leaning towards it was him. Because I found him probably 70 yards from where I stopped following the tracks.

Like you guys said, its great I get to have him but I sure would have loved to have harvested him.

Wow that hurts. It always hurts to see deer like that. Hopefully, it was from natural causes.

You are CORRECT!!! I didn't mean to single out Bow hunters, an apology is in order and I do so!!! There are many reasons for its demise, but I don't think it is from natural causes, BUT you never know, just like everything else-- deer die!!! I read a story a few years ago about a Michigan hunter who tagged his deer without a shot, it seems he startled a deer, the deer fell over dead, they figured it had a heart attack, (boy did that guy get "Ribbed") we don't know and we never will, I am just glad he was found and now can be immortalized !!! looking forward to the pictures. Doc

When I saw the pics of the buck horns on the ground I thought "it can't be over 130 inches" then I saw the pic of the lady holding it and you can really see how big it is. Doesn't even look like the same rack.
Its is a shame it was harvested in this fashion.

I've found alot of deer like that while shed hunting over the yrs.It used to bother me but I realize nothing goes to waste in nature and I got great racks to hang on the wall and tell lies about how I killed them.I just hope they spread there genes far and wide....

Neat story. I guess you will have to keep guessing how he died. Like stated earlier, when I saw the cam pic then the rack on the ground I wouls have guessed 123-135. But when your holding it it looks allot bigger.

Man, that's a shame. I agree with the euro mount requests. Post pics if you do it! Edit: I missed your post about caping him....that's awesome.

Confused by this statement...there's nothing fresh about that deer!!

thats an oldddd dude. 5.5 or 6.5

I agree with DixieHuntin... that's an old dude. Like 5-6 y/o for sure! Will make a great mount.

If you have the Jaw bone it is relatively easy to get an idea as to his age, (it is really easy to do), I understand it isn't perfect BUT darn close!! (it is the method that the DNR uses in the field) As to age,, I have NO idea but would guess in the 3 1/2 area, most people do not realize that a VERY, very small percentage of deer live to the "Ripe" old age of 5+, Probobly not more than 1 or 1 1/2 %. Size / condition of antlers do not necessarily give any indication of age, (jmop) Doc

confused? lol I know he is grose looking but the rest of his body had pink meat on the bones and in his face. so I am guessing only a few weeks he has been dead.

Thats what I meant....hope that clears it up :biggrin:

Sadly it doesn't take long for the Coyote's and other Predators and Birds to whittle down a fully grown Deer,we had a Buck get hit along the roadside a few weeks ago...within that 2 week period the Deer was down to a mere skeleton/carcass.Luckily I was able to get the head and called the Game Warden for a Reciept to keep it,it ended up being a Young 1 & 1/2 year old 6-Point Buck with a broken brow-tine when it was still in velvet so it was considered a 5-Pointer.