WNY Bowhunter

I first discovered the deer which came to be known as "The Freak" out in a small alfalfa field one night a week prior to the bow season opener. Initially, I thought it was odd that a buck would still have velvet that late into the fall. After gun season closed in mid-December I spotted this deer out in my aunt's field once again...still in full velvet. This really got me wondering what the heck was going on here?



Fast forward to the summer of '08. I saw/videoed this deer several times throughout the summer and fall. With every Freak sighting I was becoming more and more convinced that "it" was in fact an antlered doe. No one in my family wanted to believe me. Gun season came and went and I wondered if this oddball had been killed by the orange army. Then, right before x-mas one night I spotted her out in the same alfalfa yet again. She had made it through another choatic NY gun season. Her antlers were fully velvet clad with tines that appeared to still be growing and were curling over at the tips.







In '09 I only manged to lay an eye on The Freak one time back in July and then she went MIA. Until today...

Unbelievably, I was taking laundry off of the line right before dark when I happened to glance down into the creek below me and noticed a dead deer hung up on a big rock. Apparently, it had been laying frozen in the creek upstream and came floating down with the rain we got last night / this morning. I had been out here a couple hours before and it wasn't there. There appeared to be antlers on its head so I went down to check it out. I noticed velvet on the rack and quickly pulled its head out of the water. It was the Freak!!! She was laying dead 30 yds from my bedroom window! Upon pulling her out of the creek I saw that her left hind leg and been nearly shot off and was only hanging on by skin/tissue. The bullet grazed the hock on the right leg too. I'd guess she's been dead for a couple of weeks now.

It wasn't a good way for this deer to go, but at least I got some closure to the mystery of its sex...a once in a lifetime discovery for sure. Now, I need to figure out what to do with it. I'm thinking of cleaning the skull up but am not sure how to preserve the remaiining velvet.





Confirmation photo showing that it is a doe...



12 scorable points with quadruple mainbeams!!!

BigBuck95

Thats crazy. Ive seen doe with one horn, but never with a rack (no pun intended). Why is it that they are always in velvet? Do does not have the ability to shed it, or do they just not know how?? Either way, cool story, and a sad ending to a freak deer
BigBuck95

WNY Bowhunter

Here's a little article...

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteer...04/fndoes.html

Canuck33

No Sh$#, damn at least you found her and not the a-hole that shot her leg off. I would do a euro on her if I were you. What a wierd momma.

BTBowhunter

Great story, great pics!

It's a shame she had to go that way. I'd get the advice of a taxidermist quickly if you want to preserve that velvet! It may be too late already.

WNY Bowhunter

I'm gonna take it a local taxi. guy this weekend. I think it may be too late for the velvet already. Alot of it is peeling/black anyways. It will all probably dry that way...

BuckAlley

I do some taxidermy work. I once mounted a doe w/antlers for a friend of mine. The remaining velvet was just like your pics. All dried on, some flaking/peeling off. Its beyond preserving the velvet at this point. What I did was put some "Liqua Tan" on the antlers, to sorta hide like tan what was left of the dried velvet. She came out good, and last I knew no remaining velvet had come off. Mention that to your taxidermist as a idea, or maybe there's something they'll know I don't.
Def. a sad story to a very cool, unique deer.
Oh and far as the velvet left on by the doe. A doe doesn't have a bucks instincts to rub tree's to remove the velvet!!

bowfly

awesome pics and an even better story...what the heck are the odds she dies right near you??? so cool, and a breath of fresh air for the NE section of this site

WestVirginiaBrent

Nice find, crappy way to go though.

We've had 2 on my land, one was a little 3 point and the other was a deformed button buck I caught on a trail camera this year.

As for the antlers, it may be too late to save the velvet but here is a link to some velvet preservative:

http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/pro...tler-in-velvet

Western MA Hunter

I think they can freeze dry the velvet or something... i do know some some taxi's use a fake velvet now as well.
Too bad she went that way, but at least you found her.