2/17/2005: Live deer and dead deer lock horns

[magilla]

There's something really off about that. A deer is not going to start doing the dominance thing with a dead deer. On top of that, it is really really rare for antlers to get locked up so badly the deer cannot disengage. I have a feeling this pair was seen by hunters who plugged one of them. As the animal fell, or twisted, or jumped, the antlers became locked.

By the way, I am not saying the hunters did anything wrong, if that's indeed what happened. I myself used to hunt, and I probably would have taken one too

Hmmm. A couple observations. I went to Oregon State, and the soil in parts of the Coast Range there is almost unique- it's an odd type of clay, and the soil in the photos has that look to it. But it's awfully dry for Thanksgiving. And something that contradicts my hunter theory- the guy in the photo does not look like he's dressed for deer season. Just tack it up on the "Life's Little Mysteries" bulletin board, I guess.

[xant]

I kind of buy the hunter theory. Just because the guy wasn't dressed for hunting season doesn't mean there wasn't someone out there with a gun.. hunting outside of hunting season. Perhaps the blue shirt guy was already nearby and the hunter freaked out when they realized they might get caught.

Furthermore, deer get the urge to lock horns during mating season most commonly. I would expect hunting season to be timed not to coincide with mating season, which leads me to believe in the "freak out" theory.

[Kitsune]

What a live deer does with a dead one is odd, but it has nothing on a live versus dead mallard.

To truly appreciate this, you have to read the full study in PDF form.

[Elspode]

Deer get hornlocked in combat. The one could have died in the course of being locked up with the other.

I knew a guy who found interlocked, dead deer skulls while hunting one year. I even heard tell once of a deer who was seen wandering around with another deer's rack entangled in his own, sans his opposite deer.

[jinx]

Originally Posted by Kitsune

What a live deer does with a dead one is odd, but it has nothing on a live versus dead mallard.

Oh man. Ducks are nasty little fuckers.

Originally Posted by magilla

There's something really off about that. A deer is not going to start doing the dominance thing with a dead deer. On top of that, it is really really rare for antlers to get locked up so badly the deer cannot disengage. I have a feeling this pair was seen by hunters who plugged one of them. As the animal fell, or twisted, or jumped, the antlers became locked.

By the way, I am not saying the hunters did anything wrong, if that's indeed what happened. I myself used to hunt, and I probably would have taken one too

Hmmm. A couple observations. I went to Oregon State, and the soil in parts of the Coast Range there is almost unique- it's an odd type of clay, and the soil in the photos has that look to it. But it's awfully dry for Thanksgiving. And something that contradicts my hunter theory- the guy in the photo does not look like he's dressed for deer season. Just tack it up on the "Life's Little Mysteries" bulletin board, I guess.

All right, this thread is old as fuck but I have a couple of things to say. The first is, why do people speak with The Voice of Authority on subjects they obviously know little about?

1. Bucks in breeding season will fight ANYTHING. Trees, cars, horses, whatever.

2. It's really, really common for antlers to get locked up so badly the bucks cannot disengage. It usually leads to slow starvation for both bucks.

3. The dead one has obviously been dead for quite some time... look at how collapsed its sides are, the liquifecation of its entrails evident under the tail, and the hair sloughing off. Due to the location, I'ma guess roadkill. Meanwhile, the live buck looks pretty healthy, not like it's been locked up with a dead buck for very long.

4. That is OBVIOUSLY not the Coast Range... that's the east side of the Cascades, which is evident by both the soil and the flora.

5. Given the location, dry for Thanksgiving is typical.

-Oregon born and raised.