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Right_Tackle74

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2009
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418
City & State/Province
Loudon, TN, USA
Last Saturday I was leaving where I was hunting at around 11:45am. Called my wife and told her Im going to another property to clean a wasper nest out of a shooting house. I was driving down the road almost to the driveway of the property and saw a little red car turned sideways in the middle of the road. An older guy was standing there motioning me to go through. I got out and a big Doe was just off the road laying there breathing very hard and loud trying to get up but couldn't. I asked her if she hit it. She said "No, it was just standing there and fell over." She was watching the Deer and asked "can you do anything?" the deer was actually on my lease property. So I said yes and went to the truck to get my crossbow. She yelled at me she didnt want to see it shot. So she got in her car and took off. I looked at the older man and he nodded his head and I double lunged her. After a minute me and the man went over to inspect the Deer. Other than my arrow hole there was not another arrow hole in her. No broke bones we could tell. The old man said he lived across the road and had seen Deer slide down that bank and maybe she came off that bank and lost control. EIther way the woman who saw this Deer fall was gone. I loaded the Deer up and checked it in. My question to you guys: what would make a Deer just fall over without a bullet/arrow hole?, no signs of car damage to the Deer the only thing I could see was the loud breathing. I really have no clue what happened to that Deer before I got there. Any input is appreciated. Thanks Randy
 
Ate something poisonous or had been poisoned. The heavy breathing was the lungs shutting down.

People get tired of losing gardens and plantings to Deer and spray or place poisoned food. Or, Maybe the doe ate some corn that had developed that poisonous fungus?
 
Beats me. I really would not eat the animal unless I knew what killed it. When field dressing it, did you look for a broken rib? Maybe she DID get hit by a car and punctured a lung and/or was bleeding internally. When You gutted her, internal bleeding in the chest cavity would be very obvious-what did you see? Shoulda been bone dry-no blood- when you opened her up. What about in the gut area?

So, unless I know what killed the deer I would not eat it, particualarly one that was alive, breathing with difficulty, and made no effort to escape. Poison was first thing that came to mind but she coulda run into a car and broke her neck and that could be it too. Maybe that's why the lady drove off, it ran into her car. Its the heavy breathing that would concern me.
 
She was bloody as field dressing a normal Deer would be. After the arrow I put in her, she started bleeding pretty good out the entry hole. When I moved her a clot shot out the same hole. Ribs werent broke. I told my processor to look for any abnormality. Im almost thinking that she fell off that bank or was hit by a car and her neck was broke either way but was out of breath from trying to get up but couldnt, explaining the heavy breathing.
 
Hook, the only abnormalites I could tell on the whole Deer where a bare spot (no hair) behind the right ear, and a dried-scabbed up chunk on her leg where either a coyote or fence might have caught her. She was an older Doe from what I could tell. I guess it was just meant to be I guess.
 

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