You never know what will happen in the deer woods and that's what keeps us heading out year after year. Hunting is simply one of the most unpredictable activities one can participate in and that becomes even more apparent when you're hunting public lands. Because public areas are highly pressured and animals often do not behave normally, one never knows what they may see while sitting there. The hunt you're about to witness is one of the stranger ones we've seen filmed. In this video from Brunk Outdoors, these hunters call an audible on public land and try sitting on the ground in place they haven't really scouted closely.
After seeing a big buck the night prior, they adjust positions and the next morning soon find a nice buck is standing right behind them. Something seems to be wrong with this deer, although it's not immediately obvious to the hunters. What unfolds next can only be described as strange.
It's hard to catch up with a bruiser buck like this on private land that's safe from pressure, much less a public hunting area. It seems to us that something was very wrong with this deer. He just never seemed to notice the presence of the hunters, even after being shot. The fact that he seemed to almost be resting his head on that branch just makes the encounter even more unusual.
Because the animal stood in one place for nearly an hour, it gave Trevor plenty of time to turn around and get into position for a tight shot. Fortunately, he was able to connect with two arrows and put this buck on the ground. The video's comments section has been flooded with theories as to what's going on here. A disease like CWD or EHD? Some other sickness? Perhaps he was simply worn down from the rut?
That last theory seems to be given a bit more credence by a response from Brunk Outdoors that states CWD has never been recorded in the area the deer was shot. They didn't have a chance to test him before the deer was already at a taxidermist. The buck had two tines that were freshly broken and they also note the deer had been acting normally just 24 hours earlier when they first spotted him.
They also say the buck had no body fat left and only weighed 140 pounds field dressed. This may be a big clue that the deer just wore himself to the point of exhaustion fighting other bucks and chasing does. Whatever the case may be, that's a stud of a buck. And we think Trevor made the right ethical call by shooting this buck. He may not have lived to see another season otherwise.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
