seen it all now....

[CrappieJohn]

Anyone who spends a great amount of time chasing game and fish will come across things seldom seen in the asphalt jungles we tend to live in.

I have come across some really "different quirks that mother nature tosses at both fish and game, like the truely trophy sized walleye floating with a sheepshead of about four pounds caught in it'd mouth or the pair of buck heads found one spring with the antlers locked. This morning proved to be the "cake taker" for me though.

I had to hang a ladder stand at a farm I hunt and thought with the cool I'd get it done this morning. After completing my task I took some gravel roads home, more to see what was happening in the woods and fields than being a shorter route. In one fields I was a fenceline the paralleled the road for some distance. This fence was weedy and set back off the road about forty yards or so. Smack in the middle of this run of fence was a tree of about 10 inches diameter and maybe twenty feet tall. I don't know why but this tree got my attention. Looking a bit closer I saw four legs sticking up in the air, kicking like some critter was dreaming about riding a bicycle. Now this really stopped me. I parked and walked out there and here was a buck carrying eleven points on his back with his antlers tangled up in the top two wires of the fence. On the tree you could see where he'd been rubbing. I suppose he got his antlers tangled in the fence and then spooked, further fouling things up and finally just wore himself out.

I walked back and got a pair of lineman's pliers and helped him out a bit by nipping the top wire at the post just down the line from the tree. Still tangled, I cut the second wire. As soon as the tension was off the buck gets up and starts backing out of the mess. When the cut ends went thru the horns he just about ended up on his rump. After shaking his head a bit this thing begins to walk right at me. Now I'm thinking "he's [PoorWordUsage]ed and I'm going to be his scapegoat". After getting about twenty feet away he turned and trotted across the stubble to a standing corn field, bobbed his head for me a couple times and went into the corn.

All too often when situations like this are discovered it is too late for the animal involved. Today was that buck's lucky day. I'm certain that he will become a hunter's meal ticket come gun season, but for now he can at least enjoy a bit of freedom and I'd bet he is still trying to figureout what had a hold of him.

I don't think i'll ever forget the sight of those four legs pumping along and going nowhere.

[bobO]

Good story Tom, even deer have bad days.

[Northlander]

And you forgot the camera at home right? That would have been a great pic Tom. I always carry a disposable camera in my glove compartment just for this type of stuff.

Got some good Deer and Bear pics so far.

[CrappieJohn]

The little jaunty this morning was pretty much spur of the moment and I had my work truck. I seldom carry a camera when I am not fishing, but will have a disposable when I start to hunt in earnest....about two weeks yet.

For some reason my dig is hard on batteries. I have begun to take the things out when it is not being used and that too has burned me with missed ops..

[FL SNIPER]

Great story Tom. That must have felt good helping that buck out. Maybe the deer Gods will reward you this fall.

[Captain B.R.K]

Kudos for taking the time to help out the wildlife Tom! Hopefully the stress of that situation doesn't get to that deer as he'd be a definate shooter for someone this fall.

[Mark Christianson]

Thats amazing Tom!

And just think of how many of these scenarios of deer getting tangled up in things happen where nobody would ever see him until its too late, if anyone would ever find them.

He was one lucky deer. Great job Tom!

[gophers 'n' eyes]

Tom-

With regards to your digital camera being hard on batteries, I had a similar problem. Im an architecture student and we take digital pictures religiously and i was burning batteries like crazy. I went out and bought the energizer rechargeables that come with a charger that you plug into an outlet. (can be found at target or probably any other department store) I think i spent 20 bucks, but each battery lasts at least 10 times as long as regular ones and they recharge in less than eight hours! best investment i made. Great story also, hope i can run across something interesting like that sometime.

[Dan Thiem]

Too funny, I can see it all now. Just like the Croc Hunter Steve Irwin. Linemans pliers in his teeth, jumping on top of the massive buck with no regard to his own personal saftey. Cracky Mate, what where you thinking. Although you are a big guy, I've heard many stories of people getting their butts whooped by a p/o'd buck .

[CrappieJohn]

Sorry Dan, but time has taught me well to NOT tangle with horned beasts. Nor ones that are yet alive. I went to the nearest post away from said critter and did the clipping.

I was beginning to dress out a "dead" buck one fall about twenty years ago, when the thing came back to live in mid knife-stroke. That got me a broken sternum from a kick delivered by his hind leg and the next two days in the hospital. Not fun.

On the battery charger and batteries....thanks for the suggestion. We will be picking one up this weekend. Still, I don't often carry the camera unless I am actually going to fish or hunt. And then I am as likely to forget the thing as to remember it. Pics are not a biggie on my list.

I am going down to hunt this afternoon and plan to take a spool of wire and will stop and repair that which I muffed up. They haven't pastured anything in that field for ten years, but still, you do damage, you fix it in my eye.