Why wounded deer wag their tails
Whitetail Deer
Do you know why a wounded deer will wag their tails? I have shot several and when they stop they wag their tails. Any biologist or experienced hunter that knows the reason why they do this?
Deer are not the only animals that do this. I have seen cats and dogs do it when they are in pain. I expect that is why the deer do it also.
I have seen unwounded animals do it as well. I think it is a sign of physical or emotional stress. I have no data to prove it.
SuchLike...That is funny!
drycreek - Deer are not the only animals that do this. I have seen cats and dogs do it when they are in pain. I expect that is why the deer do it also.
Dogs also wag their tails when they are happy...I would not know about cats.
Besides flicking off bugs, they normally wag tail to indicate "all clear....feed on".
Maybe when shot they're trying to convince themselves everything is ok.
Autonomic nervous system response to a foreign stimuli to the internal body cavity.
Sorry, I don't know about deer, but that's a good question.
I do know that any time a dog does anything, he's telling you he's glad to be part of your pack, and wants to serve you.
Any time a cat does anything, it means "F-U, slave, and if my claws were longer I'd kill you slowly!"
Cattle do it when they are in pain. Probably why a wounded deer would do it as well.
I've seen it with arrow hits that are too far back. First the deer hunches up at impact and kind of bounds away but not at full speed. Then it stops, stands and wags it's tail within sight of the stand. After that it walks kind of stiff legged off into the woods and out of sight.
And that's when you know it's going to be a LONG night, waiting long enough not to bump the deer from it's bed but not so long that the coyotes find it first......
LoL, writer.......
"I'm teaching my cat a new trick; I give her the command, 'Ignore Me", and she does it. Every time."
Pain has nothing to do with it. It is involuntary movement...the first thing they loose controll of istheir tail followed by legs and last head and neck. I call it the death twitch as the deer normally are fixing to die. I see it mostly on lung and liver shots. Heart shot deer don't stop and die running full blast so it is not as noticeable but still occurs.
Writer, that is funny but very true.
Reaction to pain. Deer use their tails a major means of communication including telegraphing pain to other deer. Relate it to wringing hands as a sign of pain or stress in humans.
However, do not think that an absence of tail "wringing" means a miss. At no time is any tail action a certain indication of a hit or miss.
When you call a dog...they come!
When you call a cat...you get voice mail!
I have seen Bobcats wag their tails as they take their last breath when they are being snared down, or choked after being trapped. I have seen several deer do the same thing after being shot, all have tipped over shortly after. It's think it's the animals last gasp for air as they are dieing.
I've seen deer do the telltale tail wag while running off after being mortally wounded. It's usually a sign that they won't go far.
I've also seen everything from canines to squirrels do the same thing.
I'm guessing it's some kind of an involuntary response...
My theory is that it is due to massive blood loss/asphyxiation. Their tail is tingling. Sensation much like when your arm falls asleep.
I have it happen when I zip through the lungs and don't break any ribs. I suspect they feel very little physically as the arrow went through so fast. They are walking away with tail flicking like mad and then I see them tip over.
I discount the pain theory, as I don't think the area around the boiler room is a nerve ending "hotspot".
There is a difference in tail twitching and the tail rotation. If it's twitching it could be a bad hit. If it's a good hit the twitching will soon turn into a clockwise rotation...the deer will not be far from where he was last seen rotating his tail.
I've seen deer twitching their tails very quickly after a lethal shot and I have always associated it with massive blood loss. I've never seen a tail twitch this way (very erratically) that did not die very quickly. It is something I look for when evaluating how good my shot was.
Good hits generally drop in sight or run so fast if a heart or lung/major artery and drop in sight, or not far from last sight. . If the deer feels no pinch of the bh/arrow and no alarming noise and you double lung it, it can walk off and collapse as it acts as if nothing happened. If they walk off twitching their tail and they don't drop, the best you can hope for is liver, and either watch them bed (alive) or hope they bed shortly... Then it can be 45 minutes to 4 hours. If it's all stomach, man that's a tough one... Their tails will twitch, but it's probably 8 to 16 hours and you don't want to push...
Generally - if I see a deer walk off twitching it's tail and it's not wobbly or about to fall, I am NOT happy with the shot at all, and realize it's not going to be a quick recovery. Not a situation I strive for...
Deer twitch their tails whenever they are about to walk or run off. I have no idea why a wounded one does it.
I don't know why deer wag their tails.
I do think I know why women wag their tails !!! LOL
I don't know why deer wag their tails.
I do think I know why women wag their tails !!! LOL
I don't know why deer wag their tails.
I do think I know why women wag their tails !!! LOL
I also don't know why the 3 posts.
