The day after I shot the 6pt buck, I noticed a doe on camera. But she was really walking funny so I went out for a look. She is minus part of her front right leg. It appears to have been taken off at the joint. She is also just a yearling. My first thoughts were not to kill her, but to capture her, and take care of her until she died of old age. But I don't have the facilities to undertake such a venture. I have seen her a couple of times since and keep thinking that maybe I should kill and process her like I would a normal doe to keep her from falling victim of some other predator like a bear, mountain lion, wolf, etc. At least my way would be quick. So, what do y'all think would be the best course of action? Leave her be? Or kill her? This is her:
I went deer hunting 2yrs ago and another group that I was not with shot a doe both frt legs gone I had an any sex tag I wanted a buck .seen this doe but could not let her suffer.she was good size so it really didn't matter.
It's kind of a bad situation for her that's for sure. Even with your mild weather (compared to up here) foraging will still be difficult for her, not to mention the predator threat. The first time anything goes after her, she's most likely a goner. I wouldn't look down my nose at you for doing the right thing.
Kill it. If you dont, yotes or something else will. It's the ethical thing to do as a hunter. I've shot a few that have been wounded. Even if you don't need the meat, it can be donated to the hungry at almost any butcher shop.
If you are bothered by seeing the other side of nature, call your DNR or Fish/Wildlife authorities. The doe will provide for predators....or scavengers with her death. Probably ended up that way from a run in with a car? Unless you are willing to harvest the meat for yourself or others, don't waste a tag on it or think you're doing good by putting it down illegally. Kinda hard explaining why you are in possession of an untagged carcass out of season, no? Not nice to see, but old mother nature isn't always pretty. Or you could make her life easier around at least your house by adopting her with a constant/reliable food source and watch other problems evolve....
And before you get offended, I have seen a number of 3 leggers year after year as I was driving to and from work through Wisconsin. Seems they did well enough and always enjoyed finding out they were still around.
We have had one on the farm for 3 yrs now with a front leg missing we have it on camera and even seen it with fawns. It's not necessarily a death sentence but different places have different predators we have bear, coyotes, and bobcats.
I have to side with the fellows who wouldn't necessarily shoot that deer. Like cwn877, we have watched many 3 legged deer live for more than one year and also able to bear young which says they are still relatively healthy. As for the predators, there is always a chance they could get to the deer but not a given for sure. Every year there are deer wounded but not killed and they continue to live. In the case of deer that still have all their legs but it is apparent something is wrong, like a broken leg. Well, I used to worry but not any more. We keep track of our herd here and many times we'll see deer with bad legs and apparently barely able to get around, yet within a couple days they are just fine. And have you ever seen a 3 legged deer run? It is amazing how well they can get along.
Only thing is depending on how it happened it can be a slow painful death sentence. I shot one years ago that was limping by me. It was early in the day so I figured someone would be along to claim it. Boy was I wrong, that deer had to have been shot at least a few days prior. Front shoulder broken, infected and all out nasty. Also found a bullet up above her spine against the hide. Been there a while, I don't think that one would have bothered her, but the shoulder was definitely a death sentence. Can you tell if it's a healed over wound?
If you have a tag and will eat it I say shoot it if you get a chance. But as other stated they can survive. We had a three legged doe that was around for a number of years. I've also shot two different bucks that had broken legs or feet and they got around good. Deer are pretty amazing creatures and very tough
If I had a tag, I would definitely shoot a wounded deer. I would eat it, but if you don't want to, you can always donate to charity. I've got one with a broken front leg on my property right now, but I have no antlerless tag, so' yotes or another hunter will get it.
Deer are tough. I couldn't tell if she'd healed up but she looked like she was getting around just fine. If you don't need the meat I wouldn't go out of my way to kill her if it's still deer season. There are a good number of three legged deer running around. Leave her be.
I have seen numerous 3 legged deer doing just fine in the woods. They learn to run as well as those with four legs. It's a tough call, that vid is really hard to tell the condition of the animal. I have dispatched wounded deer but it was clear they were suffering.
There sure are a lot of good answers, and definitely a lot to think about. Part of me is the kind that when they see something injured or disabled, be it animal or human, right away I want to take care of it. If it's injured, I want to fix it and bring it back to health. If it's disabled, I want to take care of it. I know that doesn't make any sense at all, especially with the numbers of animals I have killed over the last 5 years. 2011 - 2 doe, 2012 - 2 doe, 2013 - 1 doe, 2014 - 18 doe, 2015 - 1 buck, Add 3 groundhogs, 2 squirrels, 2 rabbits, and countless chipmunks. All of those were on my property which is less than an acre with the majority being shot from my front porch or deck. (2 from my kitchen through the patio doors that were open a few inches) I do tend to eat what I kill, with the exception of chipmunks and smaller, unless I have too much like in 2014. Then I distributed the meat to those in need filling quite a few freezers after I processed them. I process all the deer as though it were to be consumed by me, so no shortcuts or mishandling the deer from the time I shot them to the time they were packaged and ready for consumption. For this doe, from what I had seen of her leg off camera, it has been healed, so she is otherwise healthy. That's in viewing it at less than 14 yards. I'll give it some thought but I'm leaning towards taking her if she presents herself again, though I won't actively pursue her. And if I do, one healthy doe gets a free pass.