keith@clodii.columbiasc.NCR.COM (05/21/91)
>In a post Steve White tells about taking a bear and while dressing it >out discover it had a bullet lodged in the front of the skull. >Tom Stewart then adds : > After reading this story, I wonder how many other animals are shot but >don't die. Probably more than we would like to think but unfortunately this going to happen as long as there are hunters willing to take risky shots or use weapons that are not up to the necessary power. >If you have experience with similar old wounds in animals, why not share >them? I did not witness this but a member of my hunt club did. Several years ago he was at a store which was also a check station for the game dept. A hunter brought in a buck to check in. This deer was missing BOTH front legs from just above the knee joint! The hunter stated that the deer was able to hobble around in its condition when he shot it. Examination revealed that tough hard skin had grown around the bones where the deer put pressure on when he hobbled. The best anyone could figure was the deer had been standing broadside when a hunter shot at the shoulder but hit very low. This would have shattered both bones. Eventually the skin holding the severed legs tore and they fell off while the new skin formed over the bones. Have you got a better theory? >P.S. The only wound I've seen on an animal is one that was probably the >result of getting hit by a car, not from an actual hunting incident. I >imagine a good many animals survive collisions with cars, since I've had >a couple of hits myself where the deer jumps up and runs off. In S.C. we have alot of car versus deer accidents (one to two thousand/year) and my personal guess is that probably about half survive and the other half die on impact or eventually from complications. We also have alot of deer that are hit by trains. A RR employee I used to know found them quite often while patrolling the tracks for inspection. I don't think many survive this. :-( I once hit a deer when I had my '82 Toyota 4X4. It darted into the left rear of the truck and I stopped immediately. The deer was thrashing and kicking in the ditch but after 2 or 3 minutes it stood up on wobbly legs and wobbled off. No apparent damage to the truck. There was hair stuck to the tailgate! Figure that one out. (I think it hit the tire or bumper). Later!! --- | Keith M. Boyd (NCR E&M Cola.) | Nothing could be fina' than huntin' and | | 3325 Platt Springs Rd. _______| fishin' in South Carolina! -Me- | | West Cola., S.C. 29170 | Std Disclaimers | keith@clodII.columbiasc.NCR.COM | | ph: 803-791-6419 | From uunet: !uunet!ncrcom!ncrcae!sauron!clodII!keith |
tmx@occrsh.att.com (05/22/91)
Reference: Tom Stewart's responce, was a "true" story of a buck
harvested by a hunter and the buck was using only 1/2 of its front
legs, to get around on. Seeing as how they were missing from the knee
joint down. Myself I would not doubt this. Deer are very adept
animals.
My story is as follows, and it also is a TRUE story, if I speak any
untruth may the great Hunting Gods, look down on me unfavorably!!
There was a time back when I was first brought under the wing of an
old man who was a avid outdoorsman; Mainly because he worked in the
woods cutting posts for a living, as did the rest of his clan. They
lived in the far S.E. corner of Oklahoma, in our "MOUNTAINS" as we
know mountains. They live off the land and wild life, being
right-wrong or indifferent. This is how they have to live, and also
the majority of the rest of the people in that neck of the woods live.
There is NO means of income as we know it. I am sure you know the
saying "poor as jobes turkey", believe my they were and still ARE!!
but only in the since of monitary items, they are rich in love and
life.
Now the meat of the story, I was hunting White Tail with the old man
and his clan a few years ago, and I might add it WAS during season.
We were on a drive about 6 or 8 of us and we were pushing a buck. We
knew it was buck because it was shot at by just about everyone in our
group, its not hard to miss where we hunt in Oklahoma due to
underbrush and overgrouth, where the buck was, was very thick. Now as
it turned out that drive, the old man was the one who shot the buck.
Now the unbelieveable, I helped the old man hang the deer up to dress
'em out, I did the bleed thing with the throat, during the undressing
I noticed there was "NO" wound anywhere. Upon further looking we
found on the buck's skull beside an antler was a grazed spot where a
bullet had creased his skull, and we believe this only knocked him
uncounceious!
Could you understand what it would have been like, to have the buck
wake up while we were man handleing him around, or have him to wake up
just after we got him up in the tree by his back legs.
Any way this is a "TRUE" Okie story, by yours truly: "tmx"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harvest only what you can use and leave a little for seed !!
Keep your powder dry and don't let your meat loaf !!
tmx@occrsh.ATT.COM (Jim Bruner)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Q19QC%CUNYVM.BitNet@vms3.macc.wisc.edu (Tom Hall) (05/23/91)
In response to wounded animals, it's not always the risk of the
shot or the power of the gun thats at fault.
About 5 years ago I started hunting with a 250 Savage. Numerous
people in my gun club told me that it was too small for deer. It
didn't bother me too much coming from a bunch who use mostly -06's.
One fellow shot a small buck with a 350 Rem. mag. He hit it a little
far back and it took off on him. When I ran into him and other
members of the party, they had been looking for it for about a half an
hour. I picked up its trail about 100 yds below where they were
looking. There was almost no blood to be found anywhere, and it
couldn't have drained out that quickly.
We got back together and we figured it probably crossed onto a
neighbo s property. While they went to ask permission, i checked the
roadside. I figured that if he crossed, when his hooves hit the
pavement some blood would be shaken loose. Sure enough, everyone who
had passed it before me had missed the sign. I got within 15 feet of
the deer and dumped him, still as alive as ever.
Whats the point? A 350 is for big stuff - this deer weighed
under 80 lbs. Just because the gun is big dosn't mean the animals
going to fall down. The shot by the way was not a really bad shot,
sometimes animals can act in crazy ways. Adrennalin is wonderful
isn't it? Also, the bullets for a 350 are not designed for small
stuff like Whitetails. I have seen more deer lost with a 30-06 than
any other gun. It isn't a bad gun, its just that most of the bullets
people use were designed for elk or something. (no flames please-just
an observation on my part)
Lastly, I can easily believe that more animals are lost due to
lousy tracking skills than due to bad hits, half of it is just common
sense.
By the way, I dont hear any comments about the 250 from them
anymore. My gun isn't made to kill a moose, but for deer I wouldn't
trade it for anything.
My only problem with it -woodchucks. Unless I hit them in the
head the bullet zips on through and I have to hit them again before
they get to the hole. Deer bullets dont work well on chucks, I guess
nothing is perfect for everything.
Give me my 12 ga. Tom Hall
Cuny Queens.jholand%peruvian@hellgate.utah.edu (John Holand) (05/23/91)
In article <1991May22.071735.21029@doug.cae.wisc.edu> tmx@occrsh.att.com writes: [ various details deleted) >'em out, I did the bleed thing with the throat, during the undressing >I noticed there was "NO" wound anywhere. Upon further looking we >found on the buck's skull beside an antler was a grazed spot where a >bullet had creased his skull, and we believe this only knocked him >uncounceious! > > Could you understand what it would have been like, to have the buck >wake up while we were man handleing him around, or have him to wake up >just after we got him up in the tree by his back legs. A similiar thing happened to my older borther in 1983. He had seen a young buck about 175-200yds away. He took one shot with his .270 and the animal dropped on the spot. he ran to it and inspected the antlers and it now only had one (ie: the antler on the right side was missing). He then began to look for entry/exit location for the bullet and none could be found. What had happened was that he had shot the antler off at the base and it had either killed him or put him out long enough to dress him. In the end, even through skinning and butchering no bullet or wounds were ever found. It was some of the best tasting venison ever. John R. Holand alias> skiBum
james@Solbourne.COM (James B. Davis) (05/28/91)
I have got to give my $.02 worth...
The last elk I bagged back home (N Wy) must have died
of fright. I was with my dad, uncle and a local Game & Fish
guy. We were driving around a herd of about 30 or so
on my uncles ranch. There were a couple of spikes
with mostly cows and a few calfs. A few of the cows were
wounded (another story and the guilty were prosecuted).
While the G&F officer bagged the wounded cows, I ran
down a fence line waiting for a spike to jump (more like
plow through) the fence. It did and stopped broadside
and about 25 yards away (all out in the open). I had my
dad's custom lefty 7mm w/scope. I don't have to tell
you how useless a scope is at this range do I.
Not to mention how hard it is for a righty to cheek a custom
lefty rifle. I looked down the barrel and aimed for the
heart. Bang, it fell instantly. My uncle and I walked up
to it and cut its jugular. When we skinned it in the barn,
there wasn't any sign of a bullet hole or
even a scratch anywhere - not even on the spike
antlers. The G&F friend told me it was a very smart
elk and it was trying to feign death as to loose
my interest, hoping I would just walk away.
My dad told me it was the shear power of the 7mm's
(over my 270's) shock wave that turned the elk's
brain to mush. My uncle told me it must have been
a heart attack due to the extreme pressure it must have
exerted to break his ("perfect") fence.
Someday, I hope I can diagnose such occurrences with finesse
as these wise hunters did...
james@solbourne.com
BTW, the mule deer buck I had hanging along side was
at least 75 to 100lbs larger - got a picture to prove it.
--
James B. Davis, Consulting Engineer, Tactical Engineering Dept.
Solbourne Computer, Inc., 1900 Pike Road, Longmont, Colorado 80501 USA
(303) 772-3400 Direct: (303) 678-4792 Fax: (303) 772-3646
james@solbourne.com or uunet!solbourne!jamespetert@uunet.UU.NET (Peter Toth) (05/28/91)
In article <1991May22.071735.21029@doug.cae.wisc.edu> tmx@occrsh.att.com writes: >[..] >I noticed there was "NO" wound anywhere. Upon further looking we >found on the buck's skull beside an antler was a grazed spot where a >bullet had creased his skull, and we believe this only knocked him >uncounceious! > > Could you understand what it would have been like, to have the buck >wake up while we were man handleing him around, or have him to wake up >just after we got him up in the tree by his back legs. [..] Well, that's close to what happened to my hunter's safety instructor's partner. (Or so he claims). The guy glanced a whitetail with his brand-spanking-new 06 semi (forget if it was a Remington 740 of a Browning 5), and it lay down on the spot. The chap had a camera with him for just such an occasion, so he racked his rifle on the antlers, backed up a bit, and got a bit fuzzy but otherwise good picture of a 6-8 pointer getting up to leave with a gun on his head. Bet that boy got a big harem that fall ! Peter Toth
jim@doctor.chem.YALE.EDU (James F. Blake) (05/28/91)
This isn't exactly a wounded animal story, but it's close. My two cousins and I were walking along a dirt road, back to our car, when a Dove took off about 10 feet in front of us. My cousin Dave let loose with his mighty single shot and missed. As I was shouldering my 1100, I noticed that yon Dove was moving a bit slowly and flying completely straight away from us. This was probably the easiest shot I have ever had. I hit the Dove and it fell in a shower of feathers. Shortly after it hit the ground, my other cousin shot in the general direction, and claimed a piece of it (Tom usually shot a bit late :-). When I picked up the Dove, I noticed it had this giant dirt clod stuck on its right foot that prevented it from making a speedy get away! Jim
jcrowder@groupw.cns.vt.edu (Jeff Crowder) (05/30/91)
The following is absolutely true, totally unexagerrated, and completely unsubstantiated... An ole hay making buddy of mine left the barn late one evening in his '67 Ford station wagon. He'd no sooner turned onto the main road (dirt nontheless) and picked up to cruising speed when a confounded old gobbler low winged across his path and collided with his chrome. He pulled over and walked back to the ditch where the battered bird lay in an apparent state of mortification. There were no phones anywheres close about to call the game warden and my friend figured that if he left the bird long where it was some scavenging critter would make off with it. So he snatched it up by its legs and carried it back to his car where he stuffed it in an old feed sack. He pitched the package in the back of his card and sped off. He made it to the truck stop on route 11 before he began to hear a strange, high pitched "urrkk urrkk??" kind of sound. Querelous at first, my buddy quickly changed his state of mind to highly concerned when the feedsack began hopping and bouncing all over the back of his wagon in a furious rail. He barely was able to bring the old Ford to a stop off the road and dive out before the surprised and enraged gobbler ripped out of the sack. Escape was my friend's only thought as he slammed the car door behind him. He quickly realized this was a mistake as the trapped turkey began to rip his upholstery in a frenzy. Out of love for his old buggy, my buddy summoned the wherewithall to open the car door. The old bird immediatly bolted for the opening and flapping his wings indignantly took to flight. My friend stuck his lower jaw in his hip pocket while he watched the turkey soar off into the darkening summer evening. - Jeff Crowder - jcrowder@groupw.cns.vt.edu