What would you do?

[wtnhunt]

This happened here this morning and kinda had mixed thoughts as to whether to shoot or not. Funny thing is this deer came across about 5 minutes after I shot a yote.

So here is the scenario, you are hunting with a muzzleloader seeing fair activity around what should be good timing for the rut. You had a nice young buck walk the edge of a brush pile where you had seen a doe earlier and conditions are perfect. A doe also had come around behind you and bedded somewhere back in behind you. All this within the first hour of legal shooting light. Around 7:30(1 hour after sunrise) you get what has to be the absolute ugliest deer you have ever seen walk across the middle of the field in front of you offereing probably about a minute or so of good broadside shot opportunities inside 75 yards. The deer is covered in warts from head to foot literally. The warts are so bad that skin is hanging off the deer's face around the right eye and the eye looks bloody as if the deer has run into something or been on the losing end of the fight. You have 3 bucks you are allowed to kill so it is not like this will be the only one you get. This buck looks healthy outside the horrendous skin issue and is walking perfectly fine despite the skin hanging off of it. Deer is a 1.5 year old with what you would expect to see of antlers on a 1.5 year old. Do you kill it or let it go?

I have seen deer with warts before, but never to the extent of this one.

[Ohiobucks]

Unless it's a buck that you would typically shoot, let 'em go, it's only a skin disorder.

MDWFP Deer Program

[rhine16]

Ohiobucks beat me to it. The MS Dept of Wildlife has done that study and the deer are supposedly fine.

[wtnhunt]

Thanks for the link Tom. The deer I saw this morning was worse than that last pic. I don't know how the deer could see anything, it had skin hanging from around its eye, but it did walk across the field fine. First glimpse I got of the thing as it was making its way out of the woods I thought its eye was dangling off, but as it got closer its eye was bloody, but it was skin. I did pass on it, not something I wanted to deal with.

[Tominator]

I'm afraid I'd let something that looked like that walk, because, I don't think I could eat that....

[wtnhunt]

I'm afraid I'd let something that looked like that walk, because, I don't think I could eat that....

Thought the same thing on that aspect Chris, to be honest I don't know that I would even have wanted to skin the thing out.

[MUDRUNNER]

It was worse than the last pic.....Jeeees. That just looks nasty. I don't think i could get myself to eat it either. At the same time I don't think I would him passing his genes on either.

[Ravin R10 man]

Id shoot it and let the yotes have it.

[Rhino]

Ohiobucks beat me to it. The MS Dept of Wildlife has done that study and the deer are supposedly fine.

YEP...Tom beat me to it too. He gets a pass if he comes by me.

[Stinger-Hunter]

I chose my deer like I choose my women. in the beginning you go for the best one you can get. The later it gets, standards go down. I'd wait awhile.

[dbHunterNY]

never seen that before. it is gross... sounds like i may end up going away though.