# Wounded Deer-what to do



## razmataz (Oct 27, 2009)

I was checking my trailcam yesterday and there was a doe with a lower leg half shot off. It's just hanging on by some skin and a bit of tendon. If she comes around while I am in my stand. can I put her down without using my tag? Should I contact the DNR? Hate to see the poor thing suffering. It looks infected so no way will i use the meat.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

if you drop her,you have to tag her.


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## razmataz (Oct 27, 2009)

Sad to say but if that is the case, i guess i will let her go and let nature take it's course.


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## Huntinbull (Apr 10, 2004)

Even if the wound is infected, unless the meat smells or looks tainted it should be okay. If the infection has spread it will be apparent along the major blood vessels.

As stated, if you kill her you must tag her. I have burned a tag for a mercy kill before. Doe had HUGE lumps all over her head and backline and ribs. She was staggering and could barely walk. Dropped her and tagged her just to end her misery. During field dressing I found TONS of pussing growths and tumors through-out her body. Just buried her deep and left her.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

If it makes you feel better, that deer will likely be just fine. I&#8217;ve seen many deer with missing feet and lower legs. We have one that shows up here at work from time to time that has no front leg what so ever, nothing. It&#8217;s like it was never there. It hobbles around when just feeding, but if it gets spooked you&#8217;d never know it was a &#8220;three wheeler&#8221;. Shoot it if you want, but it needs to be tagged. If you don&#8217;t want it, don&#8217;t shoot it because of a missing foot.


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## Sharp Charge (Jun 24, 2009)

razmataz said:


> I was checking my trailcam yesterday and there was a doe with a lower leg half shot off. It's just hanging on by some skin and a bit of tendon. If she comes around while I am in my stand. can I put her down without using my tag? Should I contact the DNR? Hate to see the poor thing suffering. It looks infected so no way will i use the meat.


Where are you located? A friend shot a doe near Zanesville last Tues that fits that description, he couldn't find it.


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## Bulldawg (Dec 3, 2007)

I saw a three legged doe on the property I hunt sunday morning. She was spotted by my dad earlier this year. I thought about shooting her only because the leg was taken off cleanly right at the shoulder. But it is an injury from last year and she actually gets around really well. So I thought why bother her . Deer are very tough critters !


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## Darwin (Apr 12, 2004)

M.Magis said:


> If it makes you feel better, that deer will likely be just fine. Ive seen many deer with missing feet and lower legs. We have one that shows up here at work from time to time that has no front leg what so ever, nothing. Its like it was never there. It hobbles around when just feeding, but if it gets spooked youd never know it was a three wheeler. Shoot it if you want, but it needs to be tagged. If you dont want it, dont shoot it because of a missing foot.




I agree 110%, there are more 3 legged deer out there than you think and they do just fine most of the time.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

buddy saw a three legged yote during gun season we think it was from chewing the leg off from being in a trap was an older wound had haid that had regrown over it got around just fine couldn't get a shot at it and it wouldn't have been for mercy


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## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

Someone probably shot the coyote's leg off or it was hit by a car. The myth of them chewing out of a trap is just that. I saw a 'yote 4 years ago that someone had shot hours earlier ; the bullet entered the chest & exited the shoulder (or the other way around). Couldn't get a clear shot on it until weeks later & it seemed to be healed just fine.


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## razmataz (Oct 27, 2009)

I am WAY north of Zanesville. Don't think it was the same one. Sorry
I've yet to actually see the doe. So maybe she will heal and live a semi normal life.


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## AEFISHING (Apr 25, 2004)

Most animals will chew there foot off to get out of a trap. I caught several foots when I used to trap.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

a227986 said:


> Most animals will chew there foot off to get out of a trap. I caught several foots when I used to trap.


I've seen it also this was just above the elbow joint


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

That's simply not true fellas, except for muskrats. Beings just above the elbow should make it obvious that it's not from a trap. A foot hold tray is designed and set to hold the animal by the pad of the foot. It's not physically possible for the jaws to reach above the elbow of a coyote.


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

I agree 100% with Magis. I know a VERY accomplished trapper well and he is especially good at trapping fox/coyote. He used to concentrate most of his time on fox, but with the surge in yote dogs there are fewer and fewer around so he switched up to yotes (by the way it is his opinion the decline in rats is directly attributed to the yote pop increase). 

I will say I know for a fact he checks his traps every day (as the law says) and not all guys follow the law. But, he has never once had this happen - never. He's been trapping dogs since the mid-70s (fox back then). I think this is a misconception. Now if left unchecked for days on end...I dunno.

Trappers run a small circle and he knows most of the other accomplished yote trappers throughout the state. They meet a few times a year. There are some boys in NE OH that trapped nearly 100 yotes last year together - unbelievable!!!! These guys are the best in the state that he knows of. They are thick, but that is simply amazing.


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## MuskieManOhio (Jun 29, 2008)

You could always shoot her and just use a land owner tag on it dont cost nothing and it will be doing the doe a favor..


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## OHBMQUINN (Sep 11, 2007)

The same goes if you drop her you have to tag her I shot a three legged doe two years ago the stump looked like it was sergicaly removed with fur growing over it and she jumped a fence comming in with three others I figured shoot the bigest one come to find out she only had three legs


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## razmataz (Oct 27, 2009)

Well good news. I got her on the camera again and the shot up portion of her leg is almost ready to fall off, just holding on by part of a tendon,but her stump looks to be healing well. she is still feeding and not getting thin at all. so hopefully she makes it thru the winter.


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## littleking (Jun 25, 2005)

someone mind clarifying what a "yote dog" is?

from my research I've found the following:

Main Entry: coy·ote
Pronunciation: 'kI-"Ot, kI-'O-tE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural coyotes or coyote
Etymology: Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl coyOtl
Date: 1759
1: A buff-gray to reddish gray North American canid (Canis latrans) closely related to but smaller than the wolf."


are you referring to a coyote? I believe that the coyote is a game animal, worthy of the respect that we show toward any other game animal. You never hear deer called "fender benders" or possums called "road pancakes" and so forth. 

"yote dog" is about the most non-intellectual thing that I've ever read. Might as well post "I'm an idiot".


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

littleking - of course I was referring to a coyote. Since you are obviously an intellectual I would think you would be familiar with the terms jargon and slang. I know both a coyote trapper and an accomplished coyote hunter and neither refers to a coyote as a '*kI-"Ot, kI-'O-tE* during the course of informal conversation. In fact, the caller/hunter refers to them as simply "dogs" and the trapper "yote" or "yote dog".

I also don't see a negative connotation associated with the slang term "yote dog" as the term incorporates the innate origin of the coyote (canid which encompases the entire dog family, domestic and wild). I think your analogy is a far reach at best and your personal insult unnecessarry. IIf you feel the need to make personal insults I have thick skin and a pm box - feel free to use it. 

If on the other hand you have something of value to add to the topic, please do so. Otherwise keep your insults to yourself sir.


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## tOSUSteve (May 30, 2007)

littleking said:


> someone mind clarifying what a "yote dog" is?
> 
> from my research I've found the following:
> 
> ...


I call deer "rats with hooves" & I've been called an idiot by a King, not just a littleking....:beer:


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## littleking (Jun 25, 2005)

no personal insult at all, sorry if it came across that way... just an observation 

slang and jargon come to mind with items like smokepole and pumpkin-ball... both which are easily connected to object they are referring to.

yote-dog has an inaccurate intension and insinuates that coyotes are closely related to the domestic canine... which they are not.

be it what it is, its not very classy for a conservationist, which is the basis of my idiot comment.

sorry


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

littleking said:


> "I'm an idiot".


I'm gald you said it


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

Apology accepted; although unnecessary.

FYI - the coyote is in the same genis as the common house dog - canis. As is the wolf, fox, and even the jackal. They are indeed all related.

I guess I'll apologize for not speaking in a "classy" fashion; the only two guys I know that intentionally harvest coyotes don't call them by proper name in the course of every day conversation. Sorry for that on my part. I've killed maybe a dozen, but never set out to do so. I usually stick them with my bow deer hunting and have shot a few with firearm during deer gun season. I will be setting out to intentionally kill a few with my experienced friend - he likes Jan and Feb when weather gets rough and food is more scarce. I see many on the property I deer hunt, as well as their sign. I'll see how it goes

Have a wonderful Christmas!


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## Bassnpro1 (Apr 6, 2004)

littleking said:


> are you referring to a coyote? I believe that the coyote is a game animal,


No they aren't. They are varmints without a season. Game animals have hunting seasons. Coyotes have an open season 365 days with whatever weapon you want(except for 9 days). They don't deserve any respect and won't get any from me.


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## crappiewacka (Apr 7, 2009)

If an animal was trapped in an unappropriated size leg-hold, like a **** in a number 4, it will occasionally chew it's foot off from the area of impact, down to it's toes. The foot will become numb from the area and it will be able to reach it's mouth under the jaws to chew it off, and pull free. I have never seen a yote be able to do that! Yotes are bad animals, evolved, but bad! The three- legged deer will probably survive just fine.


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## Huntinbull (Apr 10, 2004)

I have also heard the term yote dog in referrence to half breed coyotes, or dogs bred with coyotes, whether intentionally or unintentionally.


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## top_secret (Jan 5, 2010)

I have hunted family land for some time and about 10 12 years ago we had a buck that had an accident or someone shot one of his front legs off.. we watched him for a few years and his leg grew over.. had hair and everything looked normal except for a missing leg.. the year I first saw him he may have been a fork horn or spike, cant remember.. I shot him about 3 or 4 years later.. he was a little 8 point. So if shes walking and eating she will probably be okay. Let your doe get a few pounds on her and shoot her next year.. You dont get much meat off the lower leg anyways.


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## hunt-n-fish (Jun 19, 2007)

Fish-N-Fool said:


> I agree 100% with Magis. I know a VERY accomplished trapper well and he is especially good at trapping fox/coyote. He used to concentrate most of his time on fox, but with the surge in yote dogs there are fewer and fewer around so he switched up to yotes (by the way it is his opinion the decline in rats is directly attributed to the yote pop increase).
> 
> I will say I know for a fact he checks his traps every day (as the law says) and not all guys follow the law. But, he has never once had this happen - never. He's been trapping dogs since the mid-70s (fox back then). I think this is a misconception. Now if left unchecked for days on end...I dunno.
> 
> Trappers run a small circle and he knows most of the other accomplished yote trappers throughout the state. They meet a few times a year. There are some boys in NE OH that trapped nearly 100 yotes last year together - unbelievable!!!! These guys are the best in the state that he knows of. They are thick, but that is simply amazing.





Curious what your friend uses for coyotes. I have 2 good friends who use snares to trap their coyotes and I can say it does a very fine job on them. Between both them they've taken 39 coyotes so far this winter. 

Easier in the snow to see where they run, but he often says just look for deer tails. Went out with him one morning and he caught two in his 30+ some snares that day. Mean critter till you finish them. Just can't imagine that they can average 2-4 coyotes a week in their same areas, (where they always trapped) and continue to get them. Guess it's true when they say "if you see one, .... there's probably 20 more". 

This would be a great topic at some sport or hunting shows on how to trap coyotes. Educate the rest of the public on a simple and really fun sport, let alone exciting. From what I see it's very easy to do and snares are really pretty cheap.


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