Whitetail deer are amazing animals and sometimes do things that seem beyond belief. Although the main predator of the whitetail walks on two legs, bucks often get injured when fighting, become struck by cars, or are hurt in hunting incidents.
This post from the Quality Deer Management Association looks at an unusual buck from Wisconsin and the mystery that surrounded it.
The mysterious buck first appeared in QDMA member Todd Reabe’s trail-camera in November 2012. It appeared healthy except for one obvious problem: Its right hind leg had been crippled in some mishap and was sticking almost straight out behind the deer, useless, stiff and withered by muscle atrophy. In a classic example of the neurological connection between antler growth and skeletal structure, the buck’s left antler – on the opposite side of its body – was deformed. This sympathetic link between leg injuries and antler deformity has been documented many times. We published an article about this connection using Todd’s photographs as a case study. Todd theorized the injury resulted from a car collision.
In November 2013, Todd e-mailed us again – the injured buck reappeared on schedule that month.
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