Dead deer?

M

matto

Well-known member
Hunted several places yesterday, some belonging to my family, others private. It was just me and a buddy and we moved enough birds to keep it interesting. I even got a scotch double on a covey rise. Scenting conditions seemed to be good; the dogs performed about as well as they have all season.

Anyway, the really unusual thing about yesterday was the number of dead bucks we stumbled across--3. We all know rifle season ended a little over two weeks ago and bow season is still open. I've found dead bucks before, but never 3 on one day. One of them was extremely fresh, it still had eyes, guts, and all the hide and meat that was on the "bottom side". Who knows when it was shot, but it died very recently. That one was on our ground and almost a half mile from the nearest road. The gate to the pasture was down (not open, but down). The other two were older; they had been pretty well picked over. One was in a pivot corner no more than 50 yards from a road and the other was in a narrow strip of grass, maybe 300 yards from a road.

Of course I've failed to recover roosters. We look hard, we have dogs, etc., but it still happens. There's no solid evidence that these deer were shot-but-not-recovered, but being so close to rifle season and all of them being bucks (two of them were pretty good ones) is pretty solid support. Anyone else find that many dead bucks on the same day?

I should note that as far as I know no one attempted to contact me or my dad about searching for deer on our ground. It wouldn't be easy to track down either of us, but it's definitely possible and there are a couple of locals who would know, perhaps more than I realize. I would have said "yes" and I'm not terribly bothered that it might have happened (gate was down).
 
I've come across dead deer both during the firearms deer season and after. Never 3 in one day though.

You are correct, losing a wounded deer happens just like it does with losing a wounded rooster. I don't know what the trespassing law is in Kansas, but here in Minnesota, you are allowed to enter posted private land without permission to "retrieve wounded game." That includes deer and pheasants, amongst other game. Even with this regulation, I'm sure there is some hesitation about entering private land without permission. You never know if the landowner is gonna blow a fuse and come out there with a temper.

That being said, I've hunted deer for almost 30 years now and I've never lost one that I shot. Not once. I've harvested about a deer/season on average over that span. A well-placed shot to the vitals has always been sufficient.
 
The rut is very hard on bucks. Lots of bucks die every year from running themselves to death more or less. If they don’t eat and drink water cause they’re so amped up it takes a toll on them. They get injuries from fighting that can fatal. Rough life being a big whitetail
 
gimruis said:
I've come across dead deer both during the firearms deer season and after. Never 3 in one day though.

You are correct, losing a wounded deer happens just like it does with losing a wounded rooster. I don't know what the trespassing law is in Kansas, but here in Minnesota, you are allowed to enter posted private land without permission to "retrieve wounded game." That includes deer and pheasants, amongst other game. Even with this regulation, I'm sure there is some hesitation about entering private land without permission. You never know if the landowner is gonna blow a fuse and come out there with a temper.

That being said, I've hunted deer for almost 30 years now and I've never lost one that I shot. Not once. I've harvested about a deer/season on average over that span. A well-placed shot to the vitals has always been sufficient.
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My deer hunting history is just like yours, about 30 years long, average of 1/year, none that I have KNOWLINGLY failed to recover. That said, I have missed a handful, and searched hard enough, long enough that I'm as positive as I can be that I truly missed. But can I really be sure?

KDWP is a little ambiguous about retrieving game on private property: https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Hunting-Regulations/General-Information/Trespass

"Landowner permission should be obtained before pursuing wounded game onto private property. If you cannot find the landowner or get permission, contact your local natural resource officer. (HERE)" (emphasis added)
 
matto said:
Hunted several places yesterday, some belonging to my family, others private. It was just me and a buddy and we moved enough birds to keep it interesting. I even got a scotch double on a covey rise. Scenting conditions seemed to be good; the dogs performed about as well as they have all season.

Anyway, the really unusual thing about yesterday was the number of dead bucks we stumbled across--3. We all know rifle season ended a little over two weeks ago and bow season is still open. I've found dead bucks before, but never 3 on one day. One of them was extremely fresh, it still had eyes, guts, and all the hide and meat that was on the "bottom side". Who knows when it was shot, but it died very recently. That one was on our ground and almost a half mile from the nearest road. The gate to the pasture was down (not open, but down). The other two were older; they had been pretty well picked over. One was in a pivot corner no more than 50 yards from a road and the other was in a narrow strip of grass, maybe 300 yards from a road.

Of course I've failed to recover roosters. We look hard, we have dogs, etc., but it still happens. There's no solid evidence that these deer were shot-but-not-recovered, but being so close to rifle season and all of them being bucks (two of them were pretty good ones) is pretty solid support. Anyone else find that many dead bucks on the same day?

I should note that as far as I know no one attempted to contact me or my dad about searching for deer on our ground. It wouldn't be easy to track down either of us, but it's definitely possible and there are a couple of locals who would know, perhaps more than I realize. I would have said "yes" and I'm not terribly bothered that it might have happened (gate was down).
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2 hypothesis -

#1 - Archery hunters - they probably kill more deer by losing them every year than rifle hunters could ever dream of.

#2 - as someone else pointed out - stress -- if you are in an area where no one lets anyone hunt and lots of outfitters I'd wager your doe to buck ratio is completely out of whack (way more does than bucks) - they'll run themselves ragged and to death trying to breed all the does - if there were more bucks than does or around 50/50 or less deer to begin with - the stress issue likely wouldnt be as much of a factor.
 
KsHusker said:
2 hypothesis -

#1 - Archery hunters - they probably kill more deer by losing them every year than rifle hunters could ever dream of.

#2 - as someone else pointed out - stress -- if you are in an area where no one lets anyone hunt and lots of outfitters I'd wager your doe to buck ratio is completely out of whack (way more does than bucks) - they'll run themselves ragged and to death trying to breed all the does - if there were more bucks than does or around 50/50 or less deer to begin with - the stress issue likely wouldnt be as much of a factor.
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I totally disagree with hypothesis 1. Deer drives with rifle hunters may cripple and kill more deer than any other method. And then the road hunters who shoot and don't even get out of the truck unless they see one drop. Most of the slobs I see deer hunting pack a gun or crossbow.
 
I am not going to get into this discussion about who wounds more deer.
But is it possible that the deer seen died of disease? I was I ND earlier this fall and we found at least a dozen deer. Mostly bucks around wet spots. I walked a dry water way at noon and the next morning same water way found a dead 10 pt. EHD was rampant due to dry weather
 
westksbowhunter said:
Deer drives with rifle hunters may cripple and kill more deer than any other method
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In my experience its slug hunters using shotguns that wound deer more than rifle hunters. Range is often limited and the accuracy is not very good. If you are using a scoped rifle, the accuracy should be tack driving precise.

The cause could have been from a number of reasons. Its unfortunate but people do lose wounded deer just like they lose wounded roosters.
 
A lot of reports of sick and dead deer this year. Many are the result of brain abscesses from fighting or EHD.
 
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