Have you ever found a dead deer that you thought died from a snake bite? I'm sure they get bit from time to time but never really heard anyone talk about it. Does thier immune system protect them from poison snakes? Maybe snake bitten would explain dead deer you find in the woods that you can't determine an obivious cause of death. Any thoughts?

Last deer season I was at the headquarters for one of the local deer contest. I was inside looking at pictures when I noticed a group of guys standing around the bed of a truck that just pulled up. Well needless too say, in south Texas in the middle of December when you see a group of guys looking in the bed of a truck it only means one thing, A BIG BUCK. lol When I walked outside I saw one of the prettiest typical bucks I've ever seen, he was a perfect 12 point that grossed 177" and was aged at 6 1/2. But what brings me to this story, is the fact that the buck had a swollen hoof. The bucks back left hoof (from the knee down) was extremely swollen and oozing some pus out. It was apparent that the big buck had recently been bitten by a rattlesnake, probably within the last several hours before he was shot. Now I dont know if the buck would have died, had the hunter not killed him. But I have had quail dogs that have been bitten on the top of the head by a rattler, but they survived. There head was the size of a beach ball, but the vet said that if an animal is bitten on the head they normally survive because there is no blood vessels just hair, skin, and the skull.

did they or would you eat the deer with a leg like that?

I would probably not eat it, I wouldn't know how long the deer had been pumping that venom around...

Just to be on the safe side.

I wouldnt eat it either just hang the rack

doesn't sound like that deer was having a good day ...6.5 years old and gets snake bite before getting harvested.

i don't think that i'd eat it either.

I have no idea what the guy did with the body of the deer. He was talking to the taxidermist trying to pick out a pose for the buck. After he picked out the form and filled out the paper work for the deer contest, we loaded the deer back up in his truck and he left for Laredo to take the buck to another contest. Personally I wouldnt eat the deer, I'm not sure what I would do with it.

in the middle of the winter the deer was bitten by a rattlesnake?a rattlesnake was out moving around in the winter time?

I have seen two bucks with swollen hooves like you described. One was shot by a neighbor, the other was being taken down by two big dogs in a creek. Where I live there aren't rattlers that we know of, and the one that was shot was in the winter, snow etc... The one being attacked was obviously impaired and that is how the dogs got on him. I surmise that they suffered some injury and infection set in. When they run out through the woods they are prone to break a leg on rocks and such.

A freind of mine shot a large buck last season with a swollen lower leg that was obveously infected. No rattlers there. We assumed he got a thorn in his foot. Thats not to say, a rattler couldn't do the damage described, just telling my simalar storie.