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Spencie

Senior Member
5,051
145
Constitution Ohio
My Number 1 project buck didn't make it through muzzy season unscathed. I'm not sure if this is an exit wound and I can't see an entrance wound or if this is the entrance and there is no exit. Somewhere there is a guy telling his buddies he shot a "giant" and doesn't understand why he didn't find it. I don't know if he will survive or not. I'm afraid when coyotes cross his path he is doomed. I may try to get my daughter on him this weekend. Anyone have thoughts on his survival?







 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
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SW Ohio
Looks like a scrape to me rather than a puncture wound. Do a dirt nap on him and check for sure.
 
I think he will make it he is eating and the wound looks clean. I don't see an evidence of an entrance wound on his right side in the video so that is positive. Probably happened during ML season. The ball or sabot probably hit the shoulder ball and socket shoulder joint. The wound is in the right area and its the only part of the bone that could stop a heavy lower velocity projectile like a ML sabot or ball. Could have got hit by a car too.
 
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Spencie

Senior Member
5,051
145
Constitution Ohio
I might add that 2 days before muzzy season he had no wounds. So, I'm positive it's from muzzy. I'm mostly worried about coyotes getting on him. I will pour the corn to him to see how it goes. I'm betting he drops his antlers soon. He also looks to have lost weight since the last week of December.
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
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Dang! That deer was close to near instant death! I hope he makes it or your daughter puts an end to it for him!
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
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SW Ohio
Check that 4th picture on 1-10 there's fresh blood on the left hind leg joint. Don't see any wounds in the other 3 earlier pictures. Maybe a coyote attack on a injured deer.
 

RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,381
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North Central Ohio
Shoulder shot with a muzzy. That shoulder is toast and that leg is just hanging there. He might make it. Just depends if infection sets in to the bone. Had a guy shoot a buck years ago (it was wounded and he put killing shot on the buck) the same shot placement. I don't know if the buck was shot the previous muzzy season or early bow but when we skinned that area it was nasty. Green goo and stunk to high hell. Guess it would be gangrene if I had to guess.
 
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doublej

Junior Member
85
0
Man that stinks...
Bad thing too is if you kill him this season be it your daughter or whomever the meat likely will not be good.
Killed a nice MGMT buck in South Texas years back, didn't notice limping but he had been shot 2 weeks prior, perfect left and right but a few inches too low. Lot's of puss and was infected, They tried to clean him but it was too nasty so guide suggested we feed the coyotes and just keep cape and horns.
I felt like the hind quarters and other cuts should be fine but they said they couldn't let us eat that...
 

brock ratcliff

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That green goo is the first step in healing...and it does stink to high heaven! If the wound has that and stinks, it's a fairly fresh wound.

A buddy of mine shot a doe with a 12 gauge, Remington Copper Solid at 20 steps and hit it similar to this deer. He shot it in the evening of the first day of gun season probably 20 years ago. We went back on Tuesday and jumped the deer from a fencerow where he had seen it bed after shooting it. A couple more shots and the deer was finished. His slug had not broken a rib. Strangest thing. If that deer did not get infected, I think it would have survived. A lot of them make it after breaking a leg or getting one shot off. I have no idea what the survival rate would be on one shot higher as this one has been. He's already lived longer that one would normally expect with that hole in him.
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
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SW Ohio
IMHO your guide didn't steer you right on you shot deer. In 1975 I hunted PA and took a nice buck. When hung up the next day a nasty green smelling puss was running out of his hind quarter. There was a broadhead there. So I threw that leg away and the rest of the deer was just fine. That same hunt my friend gave me a doe that was shot with a 22LR in the front knee and that leg was all puss so I threw that leg away and the rest of the deer was just fine.
Couple years later one of the guys found a broadhead in the backstrap and that was infected and the rest of the deer meat was just fine.
IMHO anyway on previously gun shot deer. I did soak both of my deer in clear water until the blood was out. Don't think my friend soaked his deer.

Man that stinks...
Bad thing too is if you kill him this season be it your daughter or whomever the meat likely will not be good.
Killed a nice MGMT buck in South Texas years back, didn't notice limping but he had been shot 2 weeks prior, perfect left and right but a few inches too low. Lot's of puss and was infected, They tried to clean him but it was too nasty so guide suggested we feed the coyotes and just keep cape and horns.
I felt like the hind quarters and other cuts should be fine but they said they couldn't let us eat that...
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
That's what I thinking too. With that large area of hair missing it looks like a scuff mark wound. Clipped by a car and looks like the front leg is dragging and probably broken.
Fresh blood on the rear leg??


Maybe it's not a gun shot after all?
 

RedCloud

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17,381
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North Central Ohio
I don't know how he is alive. To me a shot in that spot with a muzzy would equal a dead deer.

Dad shot a doe about 19 years ago with a slugger out of a 12ga at about 45-50 yards right square in the shoulder pretty close to the same spot as that buck. Dropped the doe on the ground where she stood. She spun around on the ground about 3-4x and dad tried to get another round in her but she spun to fast. She got up and we tracked that deer for 1-1/2 miles into a section we didn't have permission for. Never seen it again after that. I'm not sure if it died on that property or if she survived.
 

RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,381
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North Central Ohio
IMHO your guide didn't steer you right on you shot deer. In 1975 I hunted PA and took a nice buck. When hung up the next day a nasty green smelling puss was running out of his hind quarter. There was a broadhead there. So I threw that leg away and the rest of the deer was just fine. That same hunt my friend gave me a doe that was shot with a 22LR in the front knee and that leg was all puss so I threw that leg away and the rest of the deer was just fine.
Couple years later one of the guys found a broadhead in the backstrap and that was infected and the rest of the deer meat was just fine.
IMHO anyway on previously gun shot deer. I did soak both of my deer in clear water until the blood was out. Don't think my friend soaked his deer.

That was probably your only saving grace. Infection gets into the blood and it taints the entire body and will eventually cause sepsis and death of the animal. Still a huge roll of the dice and not something I would gamble with.