sat with a deer while he died today

[motometal]

Keeping in mind that i'm not a hunter and I love animals (except the neighbors' barking dogs of course):

this morning i felt the sudden urge to get geared up and go for a ride on the XR650L (the Vice Grips of the motorcycle world). First stop was the local riding park. It was almost vacated, two weeks ago a guy missed a turn and pegged a tree and was killed instantly. This was a wake up call to many of us, and I think there has been less traffic since then. This morning, there was only one group riding, a father and his two young sons, on a pair of matching yellow Z50s. These bikes looked perfect, like they just came out of the crate, yet they were made in the early 70s? How cool.

Anyway, as I started down the trail (the open part of the trail riding along the fence), I saw a buck with a big rack quite a ways away. I proceeded down the trail, wanting to get a closer look at this beautiful animal. Some of you are probably thinking "you shouldn't chase deer". You are probably right. Keep in mind though, that this park is totally full of deer, and usually if you try to chase one on a dirt bike they easilly outrun you in just a few seconds.

This time though, that isn't what happened. I quickly realized this deer wasn't going as fast as normal. I'd say he was going about 25 mph down the trail, and ran with a strange erratic gait. All of a sudden, he veered to the left, then back right again as if to jump the fence. The fence is 8 feet tall, it might be possible for a deer to jump the fence but this guy didn't even come close. He struck the fence really hard about five feet up, then fell to the ground.

Deer are sort of like cats...very resilient. Something will happen that you think hurt them really bad, and they will just jump up and keep going like it was no big deal. So I just sat there thinking that any time he would get back up. Well, he didn't, so I parked the bike and walked up to take a look. Didn't want to get too close at first, I suppose I could get kicked? Have never been this close to a deer before! Finally got the nerve to get close enough to touch him, he was covered in sweat. This doesn't seem normal, it's 52 degrees out and he didn't run very far. His legs were twitching and a bit of blood came out of his nose or mouth, I could tell that he knew I was there and was scared. After a couple of minutes like that, he took a big deep breath, then stopped breathing. His fur felt cold, probably from the evaporation of the sweat.

I felt really bad for chasing the deer, even though it appears that he may have been sick and dying anyway. This was not a very pleasant experience for me, for some of you deer hunters out there this is no big deal. In fact, you may have stuck a knife or a bullet in a deer after approaching it, just to finish it off. Anyway, for me, it was a strange and slightly traumatic start to my day, and for some strange reason I felt compelled to share it with you guys.

 

[bike_rider250]

woooowwwwwaaaa vary wierd that must have been neat geeting that up close to an animal like that but at the same time a little scary that it died right infront of you

 

[captblue1]

i wonder if he still would have died if you didn't chase him and make him go face first into the fence.

did you at least do something with it or did you just leave it

 

[oldguy]

MM you didn't cause his demise. I have seen deer total out trucks and walk away. If he was bleeding from the nose chances are he had a lung wound Is archery season open in Iowa? My guess is that he had been wounded by an archer (who hopefully was tracking him) and the arrow was either fully inside or had broken off. Normally the rule of thumb for archery is to allow the deer at least 1/2 hour before starting to track so as to let him bed down and hopefully not run a dry bloodtrail due to beng pressured.
I have killed many deer thru the years between hunting and responding to traffic accidents involving them and to this day I still am in awe of how beautiful they are. I always feel a tug at my heart anytime one dies. I also thrill at the sight of them at our feeder almost daily (rules are in the yard they are pets across the road in the field they are game)

 

[Chili]

I also thrill at the sight of them at our feeder almost daily (rules are in the yard they are pets across the road in the field they are game)

Bet they wish some explained that to them :nener: :laugh:

 

[crazy4nitro]

you should have ROOSTED it b-4 he punched the clock,ya know like when your buddy is wizzing and cant run..... :aj:

OK sorry, just kidding,maybe my avatar for the next week should be a jackass.

what a funky way to start the day.Sorry you had to see that,i'm not sure what I would have done. :( But I'm sure that a hunter was nearby and took care of him after you left.

Crazy

 

[motometal]

Our riding area is right on the edge of the city, in the city limits (no hunting--legally anyway). I'll bet you guys are right though, he might have even been wounded from being hit by an atv.

As far as doing something with him, I called my friend that takes care of the park, he said the DNR don't usually do anything with the ones that die in the park like that but then again usually they aren't right on the trail either. I couldn't do anything with him by hand, as big as he was. Next time they have the tractor out, they will probably drag him off to the side somewhere and a scavenger of some sort will have a few meals.

With not a lot of woods around, we share our riding areas with a variety of wildlife! The deer and wild turkeys are all over the place. There are also woodchucks, beavers, fox, Canadian geese, ducks (mallard), owls, snapping turtles, raccoons, and even an occasional bald eagle.

 

[kmccune]

Very touching, but you shouldn't have been chasing a deer on a motorcycle in the first place !

 

[motometal]

Surprised it took this long...

 

[dklink2000]

If your riding area is close to the city and full of deer, it's possible that he got taged by a car. Oldguy is right, they can total a truck and walk away but I'm afraid they don't walk to far after that. You just happened to cross pathes with that deer when he was having a really bad day.

 

[Jaybird]

Most often you can tell if a deer has been harmed in some way by their tail. If they hold it up and you can see the white showing, they are normally in good shape. Especially if they still are 'blowing' or providing an audible exhaust of air, which serves as a danger warning to other deer.

A wounded deer will almost always run with it's tail down.

I used to be an avid hunter. Started hunting when I was just old enough to hold up a 20ga.
The local game wardens knew me and my buddies by name, and knew we were up on just about any sort of hunting or fishing area in the region.

Something happened to me.
It was almost an instantaneous thing that I can't really attribute to any one event, but I just felt compelled to stop hunting altogether.
I love watching sporting hunting and fishing shows, and I have great respect for hunters, as they are some of the most eco conscience folks you can meet.
I simply can't hunt anymore.
Our youngest wants to do some squirrel hunting, and I am obliged to help him learn the proper way to hunt and the etiquite that goes along with it. And I will teach him. But I do not plan on ever hunting game again for myself.

It's a personal thing, and I can't quite explain it. I am no bleeding heart eco whack job by no means, I simply do not have the urge to kill game anymore.

Scot, my heart goes out to you, as I know it had to of been a touching moment that could really send a persons brain into emotional overdrive. I know it would have been for moi.

 

[BadgerMan]

Man, I would not even think of walking up to a live buck during the rutting season, especially if it was injured. Getting kicked would be the least of your worries. :ohmy:

Beautiful animals but extremely strong and very dangerous.

I saw a deer crossing the highway one day as a school buss approached. When it realized it was not going to make it, the deer tried to jump over the buss. It hit the buss at window height and bounced off. It landed in a heap and then jumped up and ran away like nothing happened. Tough critters............don't mess with them.

 

[ChopperDave]

That deer could have died from any number of natural causes. Also, Scott, hunting within city limits is usualy legal for bowhunters on private property.

 

[Okiewan]

No way am I anti-hunting, just don't care to do it. Something about killing a majestic animal like that is something I don't want to be responsible for. Of course some parts of the country are so overrun with them... I stayed in Gladwin, Michigan years ago and man, you couldn't drive anywhere at night without dodging them.

Everyone that knows me, knows I'm no mushy kinda guy ( ;) ) it would have been hard for me to sit there and watch it die.

 

[XRpredator]

. . . it would have been hard for me to sit there and watch it die.

as the resident "dead inside" guy, I would have had to put the sucker out of its misery, either bullet or blade.

I respect those who love the "majesty" of these animals, just as long as you respect my right to kill 'em and eat 'em.

 

[oldguy]

Bet they wish some explained that to them :nener: :laugh:

I think they figured it out by themselves already :nod:
Couple years ago I was up north opening weekend and Trudy noticed a large buck bedded down by the feeder in the morning. Thru out the day she noticed it was still there and around 3PM figured it must be wounded or dead to still be there so she walked out to check. As she got about 20 yds away it stood up looked at her and walked off. Next morning it was right back there. That one showed why he was a very large buck was not by being stupid. That is when the "rule" was explained to me because she figured he would be hanging on the wall when I saw him later in the week.

 

[Jaybird]

Mind momma's rules, Dave, or you may find yourself bedding down with the buck!

LOL :)

 

[xsnrg]

A black Angus steer is more majestic than a white tail, but it's interesting that there are lots of non-PETA and non-vegans that never make that connection with a steer that they do with a buck. I find them both very tasty, but the buck more thrilling (and legal unless you own the steer) to hunt.

 

[Rooster]

Moto - I'm sure that deer had already met his actual demise before you found him. Like the others have said, those things can walk away from some mind bending accidents, arrows and slugs.

Tough experience, no doubt.

 

[kmccune]

Surprised it took this long...

So lets see, he admits to chasing wildlife on a public forum. OK the deer was going to die anyway, but how can you talk about the majesty of this animal after you treated it so poorly. I have been hunting deer since I was 12 and I love venison, so I'm clearly not a tree hugging animal lover. But don't expect an ounce of sympathy from me when you were being cruel for your own personal thrill ride.

 

[WaltCMoto]

Thats a tough way to start a day Scott.. Id want to do the same as you, but I would have stayed away from fear of being kicked as you said before. As far as "chasing him", There is a differance between followin a deer down a path and accerating hard to spook him. I have followed them down the path before, at a distance, and when healthy, they dart off into the woods without hesitation and through stuff I cant imagine getting the bike through. This is their home and they are comftorble with it.

 

[motometal]

So lets see, he admits to chasing wildlife on a public forum. OK the deer was going to die anyway, but how can you talk about the majesty of this animal after you treated it so poorly. I have been hunting deer since I was 12 and I love venison, so I'm clearly not a tree hugging animal lover. But don't expect an ounce of sympathy from me when you were being cruel for your own personal thrill ride.

I expected at least someone to chastise me for disturbing nature. I'm not so sure how "cruel" I was behaving towards the deer though...I wasn't really that close to him until after he hit the fence. I didn't post this for sympathy...it was just a very startling and powerful experience that I wanted to share with you guys. I feel bad about the situation, obviously, but don't feel that I need to be scolded from a deer hunter. What happens if you don't get a clean shot? If you can't find him, the deer wanders around for days wounded and suffering.

If you grasped how dense the deer population is at our riding area, you might better understand. I have seen deer running around the mx track, in the middle of the day, when there are several bikes on the track! Maybe they just want to join the fun. I have cautiously approached a group of deer, then shut off the bike, and had them appoach me...then just stand there sniffing, within about 20 feet for several minutes! They have really become "used to" but not "completely comfortable with" sharing their habitat with us dirt bikers.

Among the other wildlife, we also have beavers, and I can't say I always understand what they are thinking. Maybe we need a beaver psycologist. Some times, riding down the trail, I will spot a big tree (otherwise healthy) that has been chewed down amost to the size of a pencil. Makes you nervous because it could fall with the slightest gust of wind. I understand this is instinct from them to do this, but some times it's in a very unlikely place, far from where they could build a dam.

The "wild" turkeys have become so tame that you could almost touch one. They only move far enough off the trail to let you by, not much further. The snapping turtles are still very grouchy though.

 

[GETMETOCA]

Maybe we need a beaver psycologist.

You men are finally figuring that out?? ;)

Motometal, I completely understand what a profound experience this must have been for you. It's like when you get up close to a shark tank at the aquarium, except probably 50 times more compelling. Once I was driving on a two lane road that had fairly heavy morning traffic. There was a huge majestic buck on the side of the road, unable to rise and run. He must have been hit. I passed within 10 feet of him and knew that he would be dead soon and understood the fear it must have felt because I could see it in his eyes going past him at 5 mph. It was something that will stay with me forever, you just don't forget that kind of stuff.

 

[3SuperSports]

Be really careful about riding in an area so full of dear. I was flying home to Kansas City from Sacramento. On my connecting flight out of Salt Lake, a guy got on the plane that was obviously very busted up. He had a few casts, broken ribs, and was black and blue. He took some kind of pain medication and slept through most of the flight. Once he woke up, he told me he'd been riding through yellow stone on a Honda Gold Wing and got t-boned by a doe. He said the hospital staff told him it happened frequently and that had he been hit by a buck, he'd most likley would not have survived.

I've also been woods riding in the fall and heard shot-guns. That'll make you re-think riding that area. I never saw them and didn't know what they were shooting at, but didn't ever want to get in the way. I was in a legal riding area and think they were hunting illegally.

 

[kmccune]

While I do share your remorse for the deer, and while I don't have a problem with responsible hunting, tormenting an animal for no reason is just wrong.