Found a dead buck...

[WNY Bowhunter]

Well, it's not the way that I wanted to put my hands on some antlers...but, I found this big ole 8-pt. this afternoon. He scored 136" with a 11 1/8" G2 on the left antler and a 19" inside spread. I was on the way to my hunting ground and stopped to check out a spot on the neighboring farm to possibly set up a ground blind and there he was laying dead in the goldenrod 60 yds off of the road. I coudn't find any sort of visible bullet hole or wound other than a scabbed up 5" gash on his neck where another buck stuck a tine in him recently. He must have died overnight or early this morning. I know that he wasn't there yesterday morning as my youth hunter and I where set up in only 40 yds from where he layed. While it's certainly not the biggest rack that I've ever held onto...his dude had one of the largest, if not the largest body of any deer that I've ever seen locally and I've seen a lot 'em!!! I wish I know what killed him? Looks like the coyotes will be eating good for a while...

Edited October 9, 2012 by WNY Bowhunter

[erussell]

Holy crap that is a massive buck!!!! That really sucks!!!!

Is it one that you had on camera?

Edited October 9, 2012 by erussell

[crappyice]

That's a shame.

[WNY Bowhunter]

Holy crap that is a massive buck!!!! That really sucks!!!!

Is it one that you had on camera?

No, but I believe that I picked up one of his sheds this spring. I've seen several bigger racked bucks in the area this summer but like I mentioned, this guy was built like a small steer and I would love to know what buck made that gash on his neck!!!

[erussell]

Man I dont even see the gash so it couldnt have been bad enough to kill him. Unless it was deep and hit an artery. Was there any visible blood around? Broken bones? Squishy sound when you moved him?

[WNY Bowhunter]

The gash was just a flesh wound, basically a long scratch and had nothing to do with his death. Right after I discovered the deer I went to get my buddy who's parent's own the property and we flipped him over several times and found no evidence to the cause of death... no blood...no broken bones. A big, healthy deer doesn't just keel over for no reason??? He was only 50-60 yds from a road so he could have been hit by a vehicle, but it's a lightly traveled season road and seems unlikely. I wish we could have skinned him out to examine the carcass better. Man, I'm just hopin that we aren't dealing with worthless scumbag poachers again...

Edited October 9, 2012 by WNY Bowhunter

[wdswtr]

You check under the tail? Wouldnt surprise me is it was shot there.

[WNY Bowhunter]

There was a hole there, but not one that I wanted to exam too closely...lol.

[wdswtr]

lol

[erussell]

Prolly died from clogged arterys from being over weight!!!!

[wdswtr]

Prolly died from clogged arterys from being over weight!!!!

See what those evil foodplotters are doing to these deer! Feeding them to death! I better go plow mine under in the morning.

[erussell]

Its all the sugar from thr brassicas getting frosted.

[burmjohn]

Did you call the DEC? They might want to know and also shed some light.

[erussell]

Man I still cant beleive the size of that sucker!! I was watching one about 6 yrs ago like him. I could put 4 fingers in his track. He was always laid up in some brush about 100 yrds off a road. I would stop in the morning and glass the brush and 90% of the time he was there. This was only about 1/2 mile from my house and on my cousins property so I knew I could hunt him. One day he wasnt there so I snuck in on a rainy day and hung a stand about 40 yrds from where he liked to lay in hopes of sneaking in during the dark and shooting him when he came back from feeding in the morning. About a week before bow started I decided to take a walk for some exercise and brought the binos to see if he was around. I got to about where he was and was greeted with a stench I know to well. There laying over the bank of the road with his head cut off was my buck. Looked like someone blasted him with a car as his leggs were all broken up. Never found out who ran him over. Sucks, but it happens.

Edited October 9, 2012 by erussell

[RTF]

I would have called DEC for sure and then plead with them on finding out a way to get a possesion tag for those antlers and deer cape.

[erussell]

This is true. I never would have thought anything of it as it was found dead. But if the DEC finds you in possesion of the rack during season without a tag on it they might think you poached it.

[oneidacountyhunter]

What a brut. Shame he won't be on anyones wall

[Buckstopshere]

Some deer must not have any blood in them. Especially these big bucks. Know the kind well, shoot at them, go look for blood and there is not a drop. Must be another one of those bloodless whitetails.

[erussell]

I heard WNY chased it down and strangled it with his bare hands!! Those boys in WNY dont mess around, he's CRAZZZZZZYYYYY for a big buck!!

[bubba]

maybe natural causes. My first thought was a car, but I can not see any signs of damage form the pics. Nice deer though for sure. There sure would be damage on any vehicle that hit him for sure.

[Doc]

Did you call the DEC? They might want to know and also shed some light.

That's the first thing that popped into my mind. It should be reported to the DEC and let them try to figure out what caused the death. They might be interested from a law enforcement standpoint, or from a health standpoint. You never know what kinds of things they are trying to track in that area.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Bummer, that was a nice one. Id skin him out just to try and see what happened to him.

[Pygmy]

A small caliber bullet hole in the ribs ( or elsewhere), like a .22 or .17 rimfire that leaves no exit might be mighty hard to find unless you skin the buck..

Too bad..He's a real toad.

[fasteddie]

That buck is a beauty !

[Buckstopshere]

Was that buck found south of Andover?