This Mornings outing

Xim

Well-Known Member
Sunday 06:00 am ....wake up

picked up at 06:30

my god its pretty foggy out there!!

anyway after some driving around we spot a lame doe. Now this is probably the same lame doe i spotted about 5 months ago. So my supervisor says " its the little limper, take the shot....but as soon as i rest the gun on the door pillar i spot a buck.

now instinct takes over and my aim is on the buck and not on the (out of season) crippled doe.

The buck drops after 20 yards with a nice heart / lung shot.

Picture029.jpg

the doe ran off with another doe into thick dense forest.
we did wonder if the priority should have been the injured doe then the buck or the other way around but after some discussion i felt within 2 weeks for doe season the likelyhood of seeing her again was very possible.

i hate to see injured deer limping around but the fact that i seen the same deer or something very similar raises the question in my mind do i / we have the right to take an out of season animal if its injured.

thoughts....
 
Yes it is legitimate to end an animals suffering even if it is out of season.

But it does pose some interesting questions, just because it is limping is it in pain or suffering,

by culling a limping out of season doe are you aliviating suffering (the doe) or causing more (the dependant twin kids)

Each case on its own merits and only you can decide if it is the right thing to do.
 
yip, i would of done the same thing, the doe has lasted this long so 2 weeks is nowt!!
What scope covers are they? did they come witht the scope?
 
Nice morning and in my opinion you did the right thing.

On another point I had a similar set up with bi-pod and sound moderator.I noticed a difference in point of impact when using or not using the bi-pod. Turned out that the rubber feet on the bipod when not it use were pressing slightly against the moderator. As the barrel was fully floated it was pushing the barrel slightly out of alignment and probably affecting the barrel harmonics as well.

I cured the problem by putting some shims of moderator camoflage tape at various locations so that when the bi-pod was not being used the rubber feet were clear of the bi-pod.

Simple really but had me going for a while.

Bob
 
The swivel models of Harris bipods have a stop for the legs when folded. This stop can be bent so that the legs have more clearance between the barrel or mod when folded.
 
Xim,
as 300 says, each deer is different and as that one had been seen months earlier, and as long as the body condition had not deteriorated then she will be fine.

A few years back I had a doe that limped off with a set of twins. As I had not seen her as a kid, I assumed that she had been cought up and ripped her leg off, or a poor shot from someone had caused it. I left her that year, the following year I seen her with another set of twins. I left her till the end of that year for the twins sake. Previously, I had got into 25yds and could still not tell what was wrong other than a missing lower front leg. When I shot her, she was pregnant again, her body condition was excellent.

It was a deformed leg, she had a tiny lower leg with what we would call a club foot. I may have photos but I dont think so. I should have got some as this I expect is going to be pretty rare.

J
 
I had a similar situation last year, shot a roe buck with a club foot as described above. perfectly healthy, good weight and healthy coat had a doe with him and all.
 
Hi All,
If you shoot deer with club feet can you please take lots of photos and post them, also could you save them and pm me so I can get my hands on them. Club feet in horses is hereditary so would be interested in deer.
Thanks.
Morena
 
Nice buck Xim.

I'm new to stalking myself, (but have been around it for years) and for what its worth I think that you did the right thing.

AFAIK you can take a deer out of season if it is injured / suffering, but as other said above, you have to weigh up how bad the injury is (she has lasted this long, apparently ok) and what the consequences may be (ie kids).

It sounds like there's a good chance that will see this doe again in season, in which case of course take her first over and above any other.

Good luck

Gez
 
Xim

If it's to end suffering I'd have no qualms in shooting a beast out of season.

I also think you did the right thing. We have had a number of limping animals where I shoot as we have a lot of fencing and roads. If you check out the Trophy Room for a three-legged buck I shot earlier this season you'll see the thread also contains details of other three-legged beasts that have survived for some years. So if you recognise the limping animal as being in otherwise good health, then leave it, the key point being "recognise".

Nice buck, by the way.

willie_gunn
 
I think if you see a beast out in the open, grazing away etc, but with a bit of a limp then it is probably not suffering, or not suffering much. If it is sick then its pretty obvious - eyes are dull, ears down, coat dull and not particularly alert and suggest a good target for a cull. Likewise if there is clearly lots of traumatic wounding - say after a big car accident, then a definant to take out to prevent suffering.

Most animals, deer included will tend to hide away if sick or injured - and would have thought with Roe especially any animals that are truly suffering wouldn't show themselves out in the open - if you think about about they are the natural ones for preditors to take out, thus thye want to avoid being seen / caught.

So I don't think you need worry too much about that doe and at this time of year she could still have a calf that does still need her guidance.

Put it another way, how many of us manage perfectly well to get around / function with a dodgy knee, hip, back, etc.?
 
Some people I know have a red hind that runs with their sheep, in fact I'm pretty sure she thinks she is a sheep. They rescued her as a calf, found her hanging by one back leg from the top two strands of a fence, the usual story. They took her to the vets and got her leg sorted out, amputated the mangled bit, and took her home. She is six or seven now I think, what I am getting to is that she leads a perfectly normal life, travels about the farm with the sheep, is in no discomfort, and has one very nice haunch!

She has never had a calf, she has been known to run away from other deer -not too keen on them- but she is an example of all that limps is not in a bad way.

John
 
Hi Xim
I find it interesting that when the Doe was the only one for you to shot, you were happy to end her suffering on the pretents that it was the right thing to do, had the Buck not shown himself, you would of shot the Doe,
So I’m not sure if you are trying to clear your conscience by asking others what they think,
I think you should have stuck to your plan and shot the Doe or were you more worried that the Buck will be out of season soon and the Doe in season??



Your Quote, now instinct takes over and my aim is on the buck and not on the (out of season) crippled doe.


Thanks Simon
 
no matter how long you stalk deer my friend you will find that you are continually learning from the wisdom of other stalkers.

i expect to post , raise questions and learn for as long as i can. The moment i think to myself "I HAVE LEARNT ALL I CAN HERE" and get complacent i'm probably in for an accident or something bad ...:p

expect more conscience clearing ;)
 
Xim
Had you of not seen the buck, would you of been happy to shoot the Doe? with your reply you will answer your own question, Only you know how bad that Doe was Crippled and did 2 weeks make any differance as to in or out of season,

Thanks Simon
 
Lovely buck, Xim.

I think your approach was pretty reasonable.

If 'the doe ran off with another doe into thick dense forest ' then she can't have been that crippled !! in which case your decision not to shoot was proven right.

Had the buck not been there you probably would have spent longer observing her to ascertain her condition more accurately and still ended up not shooting her. I wouldn't pull the trigger on anyone's instructions if I felt bad about it. Thinking about doing it, and actually doing it are different things.

I've no doubt that had she been in a very bad way you'd have shot her in preference to the buck even it if meant losing the buck - as I think most people on here would.

50/50 calls are always tricky, if the law says you can, only you can decide if you should.
 
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