Well today was one of those days. Started my vacation last Friday to try and catch a good part of the rut in my area. Was super excited to get back out this morning after having a run in with a huge resident 10 pointer Saturday morning. He snuck In behind me at the crack of dawn at 21 yards right when I was turning around with rattling horns in my hands getting ready to do a sequence. But that's a different story.
Anyways got to my property this morning a lil late and had to walk in right at daylight. Crossing my creek on my normal trail in I just happened to glance to the left of me before I walked up the other side of the bank and saw a buck laying in a little wash out gully. First I though ok wtf! Why in the hell is there a dead buck lying there. Kinda had me dumbfounded for a sec. I thought ok maybe he got into a fight with one of the larger bucks on the property and it took its toll on him but after getting closer and exa mining him i found I nice perfect circular what i thought was an exit wound bout the size of a quarter just behind his front leg and below his sternum . It definitely wasn't made by a broad head. Either a large caliber rifle or a slug made it. I turned him over expecting to find another hole at a higher angle up on his side but nothing.
Spent all day walking around the property checking cameras,stands and looking for signs of footprints, she'll casings and anything else outa the ordinary.
Absolutely nothing turned up. I had already contacts DNR to file a poaching report and the officer was on his way from a different county because of being shorthanded today (go figure!).
He finally got there and took a report and examined the buck and walked the property with me. His conclusion it was definitely a slug or high powered rifle Shot from a long distance more than likely he was poached out on the bean field in front of our woods from the road and ran back to where he died about 60 yards away from the field.
Long story short there was really nothing that could be done other than there will be a CO sitting and watching the property for awhile.
Here's what really puzzles me. After the CO left I drug him out onto the field far away from any blinds and did a kinda deer autopsy on him looking for a slug or bullet. Absolutely nothing turned up. His sternum and ribs were as to be expected from a gunshot wound but no internal organs like his heart or lungs were damaged at all. Unless it went up his neck into his brain! Weirdest thing I've ever seen!!
He may have only been a little 4 pointer but it still pissed me off royal that someone would do something like this and let him lay to rott. Total waste of good meat and a potential huge buck in a few years.
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Anyways got to my property this morning a lil late and had to walk in right at daylight. Crossing my creek on my normal trail in I just happened to glance to the left of me before I walked up the other side of the bank and saw a buck laying in a little wash out gully. First I though ok wtf! Why in the hell is there a dead buck lying there. Kinda had me dumbfounded for a sec. I thought ok maybe he got into a fight with one of the larger bucks on the property and it took its toll on him but after getting closer and exa mining him i found I nice perfect circular what i thought was an exit wound bout the size of a quarter just behind his front leg and below his sternum . It definitely wasn't made by a broad head. Either a large caliber rifle or a slug made it. I turned him over expecting to find another hole at a higher angle up on his side but nothing.
Spent all day walking around the property checking cameras,stands and looking for signs of footprints, she'll casings and anything else outa the ordinary.
Absolutely nothing turned up. I had already contacts DNR to file a poaching report and the officer was on his way from a different county because of being shorthanded today (go figure!).
He finally got there and took a report and examined the buck and walked the property with me. His conclusion it was definitely a slug or high powered rifle Shot from a long distance more than likely he was poached out on the bean field in front of our woods from the road and ran back to where he died about 60 yards away from the field.
Long story short there was really nothing that could be done other than there will be a CO sitting and watching the property for awhile.
Here's what really puzzles me. After the CO left I drug him out onto the field far away from any blinds and did a kinda deer autopsy on him looking for a slug or bullet. Absolutely nothing turned up. His sternum and ribs were as to be expected from a gunshot wound but no internal organs like his heart or lungs were damaged at all. Unless it went up his neck into his brain! Weirdest thing I've ever seen!!
He may have only been a little 4 pointer but it still pissed me off royal that someone would do something like this and let him lay to rott. Total waste of good meat and a potential huge buck in a few years.
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