What to do? Road Kill Buck!

BUCKSHOT · Post by **BUCKSHOT** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 5:27 am

I recieved a call from a rather distressed friend yesterday about a Deer that had just been hit by a car near their house! They live near a ravine and they could hear it flopping around in the ravine somewhere!
My friend wanted to know if I could come and put the Deer down somehow! She had told me that the M.N.R. would not come out on a weekend! I got her to calm down a bit and asked her to call the OPP, to see what they could do!
About 20 minutes later she called me back and there was an officer there with her, he wanted to talk to me about the situation a bit!
I asked him what the best way to handle it was and he finally offered to take his shotgun into the ravine and cull the Deer. That was the best thing to do in my opinion, unless he was going to be there while I finished the Deer off!
He told me I could take the Deer if I wanted and that he would probably be gone by the time I got to my friends place!

When I got there, this fellow Don (they are an older couple) said he would show me where it was! He said he thought it was a nice Doe, as he had taken the OPP guy down to show him! Well, we walked for about 10 minutes and Don said he thought it was along the edge of the stream but that he didn't know it would go that far! 10 minutes and the poor guy was gettting played out already! The grass was waste high and I thought maybe we had just walked past it and suggested it might be on the other side of the stream! There were signs of Deer movement all along the ravine!
We walked back to our starting point and I suggested that Don go home while I take another look! He was all game for that!
Don left to go to my truck, which we drove down a neighbours drive, to get closer to where he thought the Deer was! He wasn't gone two minutes while I jumped across the stream and found the Deer in a hollow by the stream!
A nice Doe I thought as I was approaching, good size! The way it was laying I could only see it's back, as I got around it I could see that it was really a nice buck! Boy he already had 4 good points per side and the antlers were about 11" in length or so!

I got him up where I could work on him and could see all kinds of damage on his front end and a broken foreleg!
I was anxious to see what kind of shape he was in, so I went to work on him! As soon as I began to clean him out, it was like he had been there for a day, boy what a gas! I was very carefull with him and the blood from inside him came pouring out! He had some wicked internal damage!
When I first found him, the flies were on him already and it was hot as heck! I was getting a litlle unsure about the whole thing once I started dressing him! His one back leg was dislocated or broken at the top and he was tough to work on!

I decided that in that kind of heat and the flies and all the damage that was apparent, it would be best to leave him to the wild life! What a shamefull loss to me, gain for the local critters!

Then I thought, it doesn't all need to go to nature! Perhaps I could display his rack somehow! I had no saw with me, so I decided to take him as a short Cape!

This is where I need your advice on what to do fella's!
Firstly, being in velvet I didn't know if the rack would survive, is the bone hard enough to be any good for show?
Secondly, I hung the Cape in a bowed Birch tree about 15' off the ground, in a spot that should be hard to get at for the critters, I figured the birds and insects would work away at it to clean out the skull and the velvet! Is that correct?

I am basically hoping that I can end up with the antlers attached to the skull, to display somewhere!
I felt bad that he was in such rough shape, physically, from the car accident, I know that nature will take care of the carcass, but I thought it would be nice to have some part of him survive!
Any advice on how to deal with the Cape properly from you fella's, would be greatly appreciated!
T.I.A.

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 8:22 am

This is where I need your advice on what to do fella's!
Firstly, being in velvet I didn't know if the rack would survive, is the bone hard enough to be any good for show?
Secondly, I hung the Cape in a bowed Birch tree about 15' off the ground, in a spot that should be hard to get at for the critters, I figured the birds and insects would work away at it to clean out the skull and the velvet! Is that correct?

Sorry, but I have no idea! Sounds like a reasonable attempt to me, though. Perhaps someone will have a definate answer.
Gotta agree with Bob on the backstraps, too. Real shame to think of some dang 'possum dining on those treats!

crazyfarmer · Post by **crazyfarmer** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 3:12 pm

this is off topic but i believe out her ei nVa we have to wait for the warden or some game official to put the deer down if its still alive. Granted most wouldnt mind but some are anal and would think you shot the deer just to kill it LMAO

sounds like he was gonna be a nice buck also! Suks that the decent ones always get hit by cars and etc

atleast you might get lucky and have something to show from this.. atleast the deer has something to pass on for years and years now;)

BOB VANDRISH · Post by **BOB VANDRISH** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 3:14 pm

Buckshot,IMHO,you should have been able to take out both the loins,the inside straps,and whatever was not damaged in the hind legs.
I have had deer with the skin on,left hanging for a couple of days at 65F,and never lost an ounce of meat.
The problems start once you take the skin off.
As far as that head that you wanted to save,if you do not plan to have it mounted by a taxidermist,I would have skinned out the whole skull,removing the insides,and leaving the velvet antlers on there,and let that air dry,with maybe a bit of coarse salt to help cure any incidental meat that was not immediately removed.
A hide left without salting down will start to rot quite quickly at those conditions and hair slippage will take place,making it unsuitable for mounting later.
I did that skinning out for a friend who wanted a skull with antlers,and it worked out just fine.
Some animal will find what you left hanging and make a meal out of it.
Good luck.
Bob.

Allan.L · Post by **Allan.L** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 5:31 pm

i like the exclamition points after every sentence

nice story.

Tar Heel · Post by **Tar Heel** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 10:14 pm

Buckshot, I have never gave much thought about saving horns this time
of year, after the season opens they will keep in velvet but now they are living tissue with blood flowing thru them, I think they will rot hanging.
What I would do is saw the skull cap with horns attached and soak it in
a strong mix of salt water for 2 weeks and dry them. I can't guarantee this but it its what I would try.

Good Luck
Tar Heel

Farmer · Post by **Farmer** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 5:55 am

BUCKSHOT · Post by **BUCKSHOT** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 5:19 pm

Thank-you for the different thoughts about this Rack!
I am still not totally sure what to do, but I think I will try the salt brine soak idea, hope it works!
Thanks Again!

Partikle · Post by **Partikle** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:38 am

"When in doubt, throw it out". We also try and get our meat cooled off ASAP. It's not worth getting sick over.

raydaughety · Post by **raydaughety** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:00 am

I harvested a 6 pointer in full velvet in South Carolina when I was 18 and had it mounted. That was 22 years ago and the velvet still looks fine. I'd call a taxidermist and get an opinion.