Bittersweet Find

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Nelson87
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Bittersweet Find

Unread postby Nelson87 » Mon Sep 02, 2019 8:38 am

So this afternoon I walked down the road and jumped in the creek to access a pinch point that I ran a cam on last year. Seems to be a decent rut funnel. Mission was to trim a few shooting lanes and clear a trail coming from the field above in to the kill tree. 2/3 of the way there I jumped a flock of buzzards that were perched in trees on both sides of the creek. I of course suspected something dead and of course my first though was dead deer, but the old nose didn't register anything so I plowed ahead and completed my mission.

Once complete, I just had that feeling that I should do a little investigating so I headed back on my side of the creek. (The creek is the property line, I can't hunt over there but I have permission to access across it and I hunt a few of his other properties)

Didn't take me long to get to a spot where I had a decent view and right away I saw belly.
20190901_154549.jpg


Looked like a big body so naturally I was afraid it had a big rack attached. I scurried right over and was not mistaken.
20190901_155748.jpg

20190901_155350.jpg


I marked his width with on a stick and measured it after I got home- 19 inches inside. Cool character with that brow time too.

I rolled him over and could see no sign of injury. No bullet holes. This is on a dead end gravel road so I doubt he got hit by a car. Ehd?

I called the landowner and he gave me permission to take the rack. Any tips on preserving the velvet? I'm guessing if I let it out there till the critters clean the carcass the velvet will be ruined? I can't do anything with it tonight but I'm thinking I better get it first thing tomorrow because it's starting to stink.

Kind of a bummer, that's the second nice buck I've found dead this year. The other was a cleaned off skeleton I found in a bed while mushroom hunting last spring.
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Dewey
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Re: Bittersweet Find

Unread postby Dewey » Mon Sep 02, 2019 9:28 am

Wow that sucks. :cry:
KRONIIK
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Re: Bittersweet Find

Unread postby KRONIIK » Mon Sep 02, 2019 10:09 am

EHD seems to take a lot of big velvet bucks like that one.
No expert, but that's what I'd suspect.

Yeah, it 's painful to see that when you think of how much adventure he could have given a hunter...
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Dpierce72
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Re: Bittersweet Find

Unread postby Dpierce72 » Mon Sep 02, 2019 10:13 am

Talk about sucking! That's awful ...just awful.
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Horizontal Hunter
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Re: Bittersweet Find

Unread postby Horizontal Hunter » Mon Sep 02, 2019 10:16 am

That would be my thoughts as well. You might want to report it to the DNR.

Bob


Deer dies of EHD in southeast Indiana as DNR investigates potential outbreak

POSTED 6:14 PM, AUGUST 12, 2019, BY FOX59 WEB, UPDATED AT 10:21PM, AUGUST 12, 2019


CLARK COUNTY, Ind. – A deer died from epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in southeast Indiana.

The Department of Natural Resources confirmed Monday that the deer recently found in Clark County tested positive for the EHD virus. DNR says additional testing is required to determine the strain of EHD virus.

EHD is a viral disease that may affect white-tailed deer to some degree every year. It typically occurs during late summer and early fall, and DNR says there is evidence that outbreaks may be worse during drought years.

The virus is transmitted by flies commonly known as biting midges, sand gnats, and “no-see-ums.” Humans are not at risk for contracting hemorrhagic disease.

The testing comes as DNR investigates reports of sick or dead deer in central and south-central Indiana. Officials say Clark County seems to be experiencing the most intense outbreaks thus far, but reports have come from 10 counties total.

“Although the reports DNR is receiving are consistent with EHD episodes of past years, it’s important for testing to be done on samples before it can be confirmed,” said Dr. Joe Caudell, DNR deer research biologist. “Samples need to be collected as soon as possible after the deer dies to be most useful for testing.”

Caudell worked with conservation officers to collect an adequate sample, the one that tested positive for EHD, on Aug. 2.

“Deer infected with EHD may appear depressed or weak and often seek out water. Other signs may include a blue-tinged tongue, swelling of the head, neck or eyelids, ulcers on the tongue and the oral cavity, or sloughed hooves,” said Dr. Nancy Boedeker, DNR wildlife veterinarian.

Read more:
https://fox59.com/2019/08/12/deer-dies-of-ehd-in-southeast-indiana-as-dnr-investigates-potential-outbreak/
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Grizzlyadam
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Re: Bittersweet Find

Unread postby Grizzlyadam » Mon Sep 02, 2019 11:21 am

Bummer, that's a beauty. At least he won't completely go to waste, he will live on somewhere in the man cave.
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Jackson Marsh
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Re: Bittersweet Find

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Mon Sep 02, 2019 11:24 am

That stinks
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Re: Bittersweet Find

Unread postby backstraps » Mon Sep 02, 2019 11:55 am

Sad deal for sure

There are some injections you can purchase from taxidermy suppliers
Im not sure the name of the injections, but it contains a chemical like formaldehyde
Supposed to work really well in preserving velvet
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Re: Bittersweet Find

Unread postby vtbuck » Mon Sep 02, 2019 2:17 pm

Cool find and a bummer that a big buck like that is gone before season starts. At least he wasn’t poached.
Good luck with the velvet!
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Nelson87
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Re: Bittersweet Find

Unread postby Nelson87 » Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:56 am

Horizontal Hunter wrote:That would be my thoughts as well. You might want to report it to the DNR.

Bob


Deer dies of EHD in southeast Indiana as DNR investigates potential outbreak

POSTED 6:14 PM, AUGUST 12, 2019, BY FOX59 WEB, UPDATED AT 10:21PM, AUGUST 12, 2019


CLARK COUNTY, Ind. – A deer died from epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in southeast Indiana.

The Department of Natural Resources confirmed Monday that the deer recently found in Clark County tested positive for the EHD virus. DNR says additional testing is required to determine the strain of EHD virus.

EHD is a viral disease that may affect white-tailed deer to some degree every year. It typically occurs during late summer and early fall, and DNR says there is evidence that outbreaks may be worse during drought years.

The virus is transmitted by flies commonly known as biting midges, sand gnats, and “no-see-ums.” Humans are not at risk for contracting hemorrhagic disease.

The testing comes as DNR investigates reports of sick or dead deer in central and south-central Indiana. Officials say Clark County seems to be experiencing the most intense outbreaks thus far, but reports have come from 10 counties total.

“Although the reports DNR is receiving are consistent with EHD episodes of past years, it’s important for testing to be done on samples before it can be confirmed,” said Dr. Joe Caudell, DNR deer research biologist. “Samples need to be collected as soon as possible after the deer dies to be most useful for testing.”

Caudell worked with conservation officers to collect an adequate sample, the one that tested positive for EHD, on Aug. 2.

“Deer infected with EHD may appear depressed or weak and often seek out water. Other signs may include a blue-tinged tongue, swelling of the head, neck or eyelids, ulcers on the tongue and the oral cavity, or sloughed hooves,” said Dr. Nancy Boedeker, DNR wildlife veterinarian.

Read more:
https://fox59.com/2019/08/12/deer-dies-of-ehd-in-southeast-indiana-as-dnr-investigates-potential-outbreak/


I hadn't thought of them wanting to test it, but I did call them about a salvage tag and told the lady my guess was EHD. I wish I could figure out a way to contact a conservation officer directly. The lady at the DNR dispatch office told me the same thing I was told when I called about the head I found last spring- "looks like it'll be a day or two before an officer can come out, but you can call your local sheriff's department and they can give you a tag."

Well, last time after I waited twice for an officer to call me back with no response, I finally called the sheriff. They told me that they can give tags for road kills but dead heads are really not their job. She did take my info and "put in in the system so that if there is ever any question it's recorded" but I don't have a physical tag for it. That one is pretty bleached and obviously was laying out for a while so I wasn't to worried about it.

But in this case, I'd hate to have velvet antlers in posession with no tag.
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Re: Bittersweet Find

Unread postby Nelson87 » Tue Sep 03, 2019 4:48 am

Plan did not go as intended. I hiked down there this morning intending to get the whole head but as expected the deer was in worse shape than yesterday. I talked myself into just taking the skull plate and antlers but after reviewing my list of things to do today I did not see any thing that included Suffocation from acute gagging. :lol: it wasn't quite that bad, just really really gross. Closer inspection revealed that the Velvet on the bottom side of his antlers was not in the best shape anymore.
20190902_082753.jpg


So I decided to cut my losses and keep an eye on it and just come back in a week or two once I can get the head more easily. I did park a trail cam on a nearby tree to see what kind of critters might come by for a free meal.
On my way back to the house the landowner from my side of the creek game by. I knew his two young boys have been running trail cams on the property and although I wanted the rack for myself I decided to tell them about it and let them have it. I knew those two youngsters would be tickled with it. I don't regret it, I know it was the right thing to do. They told me they had a cam along the creek and had pictures of a pretty nice buck but did not confirm yet that it's the same one.
20190902_080840.jpg
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Horizontal Hunter
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Re: Bittersweet Find

Unread postby Horizontal Hunter » Tue Sep 03, 2019 5:55 am

Nelson87 wrote: I talked myself into just taking the skull plate and antlers but after reviewing my list of things to do today I did not see any thing that included Suffocation from acute gagging. :lol: it wasn't quite that bad, just really really gross. Closer inspection revealed that the Velvet on the bottom side of his antlers was not in the best shape anymore.


Now that’s funny. They turn really fast this time of year.

I would let nature take its course and go back in a few weeks. I know that there is a spray on velvet product(s) but I have no experience with them.

If you call the game thief tip hotline (or whatever they call it there) I bet it goes to their dispatch and you should be able to find out the CO for that area and at least leave him/her a message.

Bob
Vegetarian: vejiˈte(ə)rēən/noun: old Indian word for lousy hunter. :o

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Nelson87
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Re: Bittersweet Find

Unread postby Nelson87 » Tue Oct 15, 2019 2:39 pm

The plot thickens... landowner found a dead doe a while back and now a buck. Nice one too.
20191014_193514.jpg


DNR has cut bonus tags for my county in half which means there won't be a late antlerless season.
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