The Strangest, most fascinating thing you've seen deer do

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Grizzly
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The Strangest, most fascinating thing you've seen deer do

#1 Post by Grizzly »

There was a time, many years ago, when because I was caught up with the hunt and not thinking, or being sensitive. I shot a doe, not even realizing that she was the mother of twins following behind her. When she dropped I was saddened to see both of her young just stand there and stare down at her. One was much smaller, maybe like a runt and the other was quite a bit larger. This tugged on my heart and made me wish I'd not been so hasty and looked at the whole picture before harvesting a doe for the meat. They would nudge her, and I had to wonder what they might have known or sensed. This was one of those times when the reality of what we do catches up with you.

We were about 70 yards up on the side of a hill with a clearing at the bottom. in the clearing were half a dozen more deer. After a few minutes of this agony for myself and the futile attempts by the two orphans to get their mother to get up, I observed a young basket rack buck come up the hill to the two young ones. The wind was in my favor as I was up a tree in a home made portable ladder stand. I could see the older deer seem to asses the situation for a few moments and then he led the two down the hill to the rest of the small herd of deer.

As I watched this, I had to wonder at the depth of nature that we never truly perceive. What was going on in the life of those deer. How quickly the young buck seemed to asses the situation and lead the orphans down into the herd to join the others. We wonder how they perceive death; how and why that buck would even walk up the side of that hill. What did he know? What was he led by? Was God teaching me a lesson through this young buck (I still had a buck tag with me, but he was the last one on Earth I could have shot).

Then when they joined the others, they all left the clearing and the story wasn't over. I got down when they were out of sight to field dress the doe. About the time I was almost done, I look up higher on the hill above me and there they all are, watching and then snorting at me. I don't know if I've ever felt worse about shooting a deer in all my days in the field.
Jesus replaces the old covenant and speaks to the believer the moral code of God by His Spirit directly to the heart. He is the eternal, everlasting revelation of God to mankind. In Him is both the knowledge of righteousness and the power to live right.

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Graps
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Re: The Strangest, most fascinating thing you've seen deer do

#2 Post by Graps »

I shot a doe several years ago and while I was field dressing it, the fawn came up and looked over my shoulder. I pushed it back with my elbow and had to do that three times before it just stood back.
Fast forward about 5 years and I was hunting on my sister and brother-in-law's farm. I shot the biggest doe I had personally taken and up at the house I was talking with my brother-in-law about how she had twins with her and her utter was full of milk.
My sister asked if the fawns were weaned yet and we both said at the same time "they are now".
My sister didn't think that was funny. :evil:
"Maybe the truly handicapped people are the ones that don't need God as much." ~ Joni Eareckson Tada

Carpdaddy
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Re: The Strangest, most fascinating thing you've seen deer do

#3 Post by Carpdaddy »

Being hunters doesn’t make us heartless as many would suppose. The strangest thing I have had happen is to have deer that I decided not to shoot; to walk right up and appear to look straight through me, never spotting me right in front of them. Had this on more than one occasion. Then get busted on another hunt by one that I thought should never have spotted me! Who knows?

Nomad
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Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2019 7:18 pm

Re: The Strangest, most fascinating thing you've seen deer do

#4 Post by Nomad »

I ran out of loads for my muzzle loader and I had the wounded buck laying in front of me. A pretty big one.

I took my knife out and walked up behind him and stuck him in the neck. At the stick the front hoof came up with lightning speed and smacked the knife out of my hand. I think it was just a reflex reaction to the stick. I looked at the top of my hand and I had a welt the size of an egg with a cut in the middle. Felt like it could be broken.

The buck was now in the bedded position with it's head up. Decided not to use the knife again. (:

I picked my knife up and put it in my sheath and walked out to my truck to get some more loads. When I got back he was already expired.

Lowcountry
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Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2018 5:47 pm

Re: The Strangest, most fascinating thing you've seen deer do

#5 Post by Lowcountry »

I had a great uncle who had a scar on his chest till the day he died, from getting kicked in the chest from a "dead" deer he had started to field dress.

I really cant remember seeing a deer do anything special or fascinating, but I did see a deer with only 1 ear one time.

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Grizzly
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Re: The Strangest, most fascinating thing you've seen deer do

#6 Post by Grizzly »

There are probably many stories of guys reaching down to pick up a "dead" squirrel, only to have it latch onto their finger. What I always hated to see happen was when you approached that "dead" deer and that one eye opens and they manage to slide down into one of those erosion ditches we have around here, or they manage to slide off the edge of the hill to where, now you have to drag them up.

Dad taught me well, and I always would poke at their eye with my bow or my weapon to make certain they were down and out and not able to hurt you. A turkey was the one who made me back up. :shock: About the time I thought it was dead, it suddenly did that flopping around thing where for a moment I thought it might get some lift with those wings. It was really hilarious. :oops: It was my first one and I didn't want to see it fly off. I backed up suddenly and then hated the thought of having to shoot it again and maybe ruining good meat. Luckily, I waited it out and didn't shoot. Of coarse anyone who has killed chickens for the pot knows what is happening. My chickens always came pre-packaged :)
Jesus replaces the old covenant and speaks to the believer the moral code of God by His Spirit directly to the heart. He is the eternal, everlasting revelation of God to mankind. In Him is both the knowledge of righteousness and the power to live right.

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