A survivor!

[willy]

This buck broke his right front leg when he was 1.5, then last year as a 3.5 he got his back right leg shot off below the knee.(my guess to what happened)

With the history of this buck I believe he is 4 yrs. and one tough buck.

The winter pic came from this past Feb.

 

[dipper]

Looks like he has an injured right front ankle

 

[willy]

Thanks for catching that Dipper. I changed it.

 

[biglakeba$$]

Wow. thats cool.

well, not the injury......

 

[scott44]

Deer are amazing how they can survive, cool pics.

 

[Bill]

I'd name him Lucky.

Wait no, Cecil.

 

[dipper]

Gotta love that drop tine, u gonna shoot him given the chance?

 

[willy]

I'm not but my wife has "expressed" interest in pulling the trigger because he meets our 4 plus age self limitation and he has the drop tine. I am a softy for survivors but can't say never as if he lives a couple more years he could cross my "softy" threshold.:) If they get age in this area they do sport some serious head gear.

 

[dipper]

Im wondering if that guy didn't get hit by a vehicle with the know on his front leg? Also looks like winters can be a factor in your area. That buck has a lot working against him. Especially if he has two bad legs. He's still gonna rut as hard as he can. Add a nasty winter and I don't think he'll live.
I felt the same way as u about a three legged doe I was seeing all the time on my place. I let her live 2 hunting seasons. Than we had that brutal winter 3 years ago, and I found her dead.
On the other hand, years back I did a full body mount on a 3 legged buck, for a guy. I wanna say that buck was around 150. The buck lost his leg young, and the hunter had 2 or 3 years worth of pics. That buck kept getting bigger every year. That was during a stretch when our winters were tamer, though.
If u let him live, his survival will come down to winter severity-imo. He looks in the 4 year range to me.

 

[kabic]

I would like to see a video of him hobbling along, maybe the front leg isnt too bad.

 

[dipper]

Just looked at ure pic again. Looks like there is damage or injury to that right hind quarter. See how it's deformed? That guy definitely got hit by a car. Do u have any pics with his antlers on?
He's tough

 

[willy]

Thanks all for the comments.

I hear you Dipper but fortunately we have fairly mild winters here(at least they have been). You may be on to something with a vehicle hitting him. Here are two pics I have of him in late summer and the sept 15 pic (black and white)is the last time I have him on cam from what I could find looking through other pics. He had always been a photogenic buck but he just fell off the map. He then shows back up on a mineral lick cam in Dec. with leg missing and some healing already taking place. The last pic is from Jan. 6, 2015.

Kabic, he uses that front right leg like normal. I have had him in front of me doing all things a deer does and one wouldn't know he has an injury to that leg. However he sure has a weird gate based from the time lapse pics I have of him in the mineral lick and walking to and from it.

Bill, Cecil it is! Thanks for the idea.