Blind Whitetail buck

Gallery: Man & FaunaPosted December 5, 2012212 views3 comments

This poor guy must have gotten into a fight with another, probably bigger buck. It looked like he was speared through his left eye judging by the condition and green stuff coming out of it. He was totally blind and didn't respond to much of anything including cars driving slowly past him.

I called the DNR and they asked me not to put him out of his misery until they got a look at him. They were concerned that he may also have cronic wasting (not sure that's the correct term). Long story short, they never showed up and my neighbor down the lane mercifully shot him a few hours later.

This is my first posting in a long time. I've had a computer crash, a new camera, upgraded to CS6, and I think I'm losing my mind trying to figure out how to make it all work together. If I get it together I plan to be more active. Thanks for looking.
C&C are appreciated.

Canon 5D3, 70-200, ISO 1000, 1/800 @f5.6

Comments

3 comments

Comment posted by Tim Downey on December 6, 2012 at 10:44 AM

I find this to be a powerful image. Your capture of his carriage and body language shows to me his distress. I'm glad he is no longer miserable. That eye had to be painful.

We find so many beautiful images of nature that we often forget the violence, sickness and death that is the everyday rule rather than exception.

Thanks for posting this reminder.

Tim Downey

Registered on December 8, 2009, 0 Posts, 28 Comments

Comment posted by Carl Battreall on December 7, 2012 at 1:01 PM

I have never seen something green come out of a mammal. Your image captures his suffering very well.

Registered on August 29, 2007, 24 Posts, 222 Comments

Comment posted by David E Lester on January 6, 2013 at 11:35 AM

Beautiful buck, said that he had to be put down....

Registered on March 24, 2010, 155 Posts, 793 Comments