# Why we shoot deer...



## El Gato Loco

Why we shoot deer in the wild (A letter from someone who wants to remain anonymous, who farms, writes well and actually tried this)

I had this idea that I could rope a deer, put it in a stall, feed it up on corn for a couple of weeks, then kill it and eat it. The first step in this adventure was getting a deer. I figured that, since they congregate at my cattle feeder and do not seem to have much fear of me when we are there (a bold one will sometimes come right up and sniff at the bags of feed while I am in the back of the truck not 4 feet away), it should not be difficult to rope one, get up to it and toss a bag over its head (to calm it down) then hog tie it and transport it home.

I filled the cattle feeder then hid down at the end with my rope. The cattle, having seen the roping thing before, stayed well back. They were not having any of it. After about 20 minutes, my deer showed up-- 3 of them. I picked out a likely looking one, stepped out from the end of the feeder, and threw my rope. The deer just stood there and stared at me. I wrapped the rope around my waist and twisted the end so I would have a good hold..

The deer still just stood and stared at me, but you could tell it was mildly concerned about the whole rope situation. I took a step towards it, it took a step away. I put a little tension on the rope .., and then received an education. The first thing that I learned is that, while a deer may just stand there looking at you funny while you rope it, they are spurred to action when you start pulling on that rope.

That deer EXPLODED. The second thing I learned is that pound for pound, a deer is a LOT stronger than a cow or a colt. A cow or a colt in that weight range I could fight down with a rope and with some dignity. A deer-- no Chance. That thing ran and bucked and twisted and pulled. There was no controlling it and certainly no getting close to it. As it jerked me off my feet and started dragging me across the ground, it occurred to me that having a deer on a rope was not nearly as good an idea as I had originally imagined.. The only upside is that they do not have as much stamina as many other animals.

A brief 10 minutes later, it was tired and not nearly as quick to jerk me off my feet and drag me when I managed to get up. It took me a few minutes to realize this, since I was mostly blinded by the blood flowing out of the big gash in my head. At that point, I had lost my taste for corn-fed venison. I just wanted to get that devil creature off the end of that rope.

I figured if I just let it go with the rope hanging around its neck, it would likely die slow and painfully somewhere. At the time, there was no love at all between me and that deer. At that moment, I hated the thing, and I would venture a guess that the feeling was mutual. Despite the gash in my head and the several large knots where I had cleverly arrested the deer's momentum by bracing my head against various large rocks as it dragged me across the ground, I could still think clearly enough to recognize that there was a small chance that I shared some tiny amount of responsibility for the situation we were in. I didn't want the deer to have to suffer a slow death, so I managed to get it lined back up in between my truck and the feeder - a little trap I had set before hand...kind of like a squeeze chute. I got it to back in there and I started moving up so I could get my rope back.

Did you know that deer bite?

They do! I never in a million years would have thought that a deer would bite somebody, so I was very surprised when ..... I reached up there to grab that rope and the deer grabbed hold of my wrist. Now, when a deer bites you, it is not like being bit by a horse where they just bite you and slide off to then let go. A deer bites you and shakes its head--almost like a pit bull. They bite HARD and it hurts.

The proper thing to do when a deer bites you is probably to freeze and draw back slowly. I tried screaming and shaking instead. My method was ineffective.

It seems like the deer was biting and shaking for several minutes, but it was likely only several seconds. I, being smarter than a deer (though you may be questioning that claim by now), tricked it. While I kept it busy tearing the tendons out of my right arm, I reached up with my left hand and pulled that rope loose.

That was when I got my final lesson in deer behavior for the day.

Deer will strike at you with their front feet. They rear right up on their back feet and strike right about head and shoulder level, and their hooves are surprisingly sharp... I learned a long time ago that, when an animal -like a horse --strikes at you with their hooves and you can't get away easily, the best thing to do is try to make a loud noise and make an aggressive move towards the animal. This will usually cause them to back down a bit so you can escape.

This was not a horse. This was a deer, so obviously, such trickery would not work. In the course of a millisecond, I devised a different strategy. I screamed like a woman and tried to turn and run. The reason I had always been told NOT to try to turn and run from a horse that paws at you is that there is a good chance that it will hit you in the back of the head. Deer may not be so different from horses after all, besides being twice as strong and 3 times as evil, because the second I turned to run, it hit me right in the back of the head and knocked me down.

Now, when a deer paws at you and knocks you down, it does not immediately leave. I suspect it does not recognize that the danger has passed. What they do instead is paw your back and jump up and down on you while you are laying there crying like a little girl and covering your head.

I finally managed to crawl under the truck and the deer went away. So now I know why when people go deer hunting they bring a rifle with a scope......to sort of even the odds!!

All these events are true so help me God... An Educated Farmer


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## hassell

Do you think that adventure was ingrained in his noggin?HA!!!


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## youngdon

GEEZ he didn't think that through at all. I would hope someone came running up to him when this was over and gave him a "sign".


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## bar-d

Just so yall know, it wernt me.


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## On a call

ha ha.. I very much enjoyed reading this...it brought back memories !

Although I have never been bit...I have had the tar beat out me more than once. The youngens even a just a day old will kick you well.

I am guessing this was a Mule deer ?


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## youngdon

I'm sure it wasn't one of those smart eastern deer LOL.


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## Helmet_S

see it is events like these that had he thought to have someone video tape would have been so much better. what is the point of making being such an idiot if you don't let others enjoy it to their fullest.

All I know is that I am not a farmer so it wasn't me.


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## knapper

I had a stand off with a couple of grizzly cubs that eventualy ran off, I ask the guy that was with me if he got any pictures. This was a drop off hunt and we were stuck there until the plane cam back.


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## On a call

This sounds like one of cats experiences ?


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## youngdon

I would hope the guy was watching for momma.


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## Ruger

Reminds me of what I learned the hard way! Freeing a deer from a fence is not an easy task! Got the deer free but I got the crap beat out of me. Next time I'll call DOW and let them deal with it!


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## youngdon

DOH !!


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## knapper

Momma was on the other side of the river chowing down on a caribou while the kids, first years cubs were checking out the area. The guy that was with me was trying to scare the cubs away by shouting at them, that only made them more attracted to what was going on the other side. He was one of the most scared of bears person I have ever meant but, he kept his head on the task in a way I had to admire.  It was a tough hunt due to six inches of snow the day after we arrived at the hunt location.


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## lucas_shane

This is to funny !

I roped an antelope up in the Texas Pan Handle ONCE ! We didnt wanna hurt it, just out drinking cold beer and acting like stupid 20 yr olds. After several 50 + mph chases I finally landed the rope !! Surprised it didnt break its neck when it turned and hit the end of the rope. After about 30 min of drinking and scratching our heads on how to get the rope off there was only ONE way I wanted anymore to do with this animal ! Ill just put it this way. We ate decent for a cpl days. Not my choice of meat plus all the adrenalin made it even tuffer. Like I said, just 3 stupid kids on the lonely roads enjoying a cold brew. 
Never forget it and will never forget the butt chewing that we all got when we got back to head quarters.

IF ANYBODY WANTS TO TRY AND ROPE ANY NATIVE WILDLIFE, MAKE DARN SURE YOU HAVE THE ROPE TIED OFF TO SOMETHING !!!!


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## On a call

Yeeee haw that sounds like you had a great learning experience !

Dart guns work really well to calm them down. A little kettamine and rumbum and you can pet them


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## youngdon

I think you might want to consider who all may be reading these posts before listing specific drugs and illegal ways to use them.


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## ReidRH

You guys got me Rolling on the floor here! Picked this up UMMM from experience, The Best way to free a deer from a fence is to approach from the opposite side of the fence with wire cutters Preferably some that will cut up close to the animals caught leg as possible. I have done this several times without incident, just saying....


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## On a call

yes I agree the best way to release any wild animal is to have somthing between you and the animal.

One way to release wild caught animals in a foot hold is to use plywood with a V cut out of it...walk up to the animal keeping it on one side of the plywood and the leg on your side...undo the foot and wham bam thank you mam free to run off. I however would not try that with a black bear, wolverine, griz, or mountain lion.

There are other measures also. I agree with RH...good cutters that cut quick and easy. I have had horses caught up..not a pretty sight. Stay on the safe side.


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## On a call

BTW....I reclaim my statement with the use of tranquilzers...only if you have a licenses, or hire a vet, or a professional.

When I raised deer I had a licenses to use such drugs, on animals. They are narcotics and not legal to have.


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