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Watch out for that tree!!

More than once I have watched a deer run flat out into a tree and die when mortally hit. Almost wonder if it's some type of suicide. Deer that are dead on their feet do weird things and end up in some weird places. I have even fished one out of Long Island Sound. What's the weirdest thing you have seen a deer do before it died?

I've had two deer do, what I call, the "death leap". It is more like a back flip. It goes like this. The deer is hit and bolts away, then, its last physical act is to leap up. I can't say I've seen it, but the bloodtrail tells the story. The first time I was following the bloodtrail and it ended at a huge pile of brush. At first I figured the deer jumped over the pile and continued on, but no blood on the other side. I examined the pile and could find no blood on it. Several times I backed up the blood trail and followed it to the pile. Finally I noticed one small drop of blood, near the end, at the pile, but shaped as though the deer made a left. To the left of the trail was a steep drop off of the hillside, which went down at least eighty yards. Maybe eight yards down and another eight back from the pile, I found a scuff in the leaves and some blood. I went farther down the embankment and again found a scuff and blood. Then, there it was, at the bottom and stone dead.

Another time I heard the deer crash, and followed the bloodtrail to a sudden halt. That time I stood there and looked around. Having heard it, I knew it couldn't be farther. I then spotted the deer behind me, off the bloodtrail, a good five yards downhill and headfirst pointed back the way it came. All the blood indicated movement towards the sudden stop.

When the blood stops, stop and look back.

Had the same thing happen on the first deer I ever shot, ran right into a tree and hit the ground stone dead, never moved an inch after that.

I also have had a deer run head first full speed into a tree and only 25 yards after the shot also stone dead at the tree.

Had one do the same thing but into a stone wall flat dead

Had a similar thing happen to a 7 pointer....but he ran straight into a 3-strand barbed wire fence right after arrow impact. Tore the wire down and uprooted one of the fence posts...stumbled about 25 more yards and went down. I couldn't believe the force of his impact on that fence.

LOL, DD, we also had to fish one out of LI sound. We looked for about 2 hours and couldn't find it. It was funny when we found it because it was laying down with his neck looking back as if it was sleeping. It was low tide. If it was high tide, she would've been submerged.

I've had several do the death leap Wild Bill discussed. But not just backwards and sometimes it's like 1-2 leaps to the side. Couple years ago, I pulled a shot and hit a deer in the kidney/renal artery. As it ran off, my initial "Oh S***" turned to "No worries" because I could see blood blowing 2 feet out of the deer.

He hopped a wall about 30 yds away, and just as he got out of view, I thought I heard a crash.

I got down, after 20', and followed the blood trail on trees, ground etc until he crossed a little stream about 55-60 yds away. Now there is barely any blood (I was to learn that's because there was none left!).

I do circles in the direction he went, I'm looking and looking and it's getting pretty dark. Finally, I bit the bullet, and figured my initial thought was correct and he was going to need me to wait several hours. As I go to walk out, I catch a reflection in my flashlight beam. I look again, and it's the deer, 25-30 yards to the side of where last blood was, 90 degrees to his direction of travel, literally laying in a natural ground blind I'd made a few weeks prior for hunting a different wind.

That was the longest death leaps I've ever seen...

I had one jump or fall off a 80ft cliff into a lake. I followed the blood trail to the edge of the cliff and no deer. I looked around for 15mins and no deer at the end of the blood trail. I just did not figure it went off the cliff. Finally I look over the cliff and into the water below and there he was. I had to get a boat to get that one,a nice 8 so it was worth it

I have one on video of that fly up and turn over backwards I just don't know how to post it, last years heart shot

Watched this one hit the tree. I mean really hit it. Bounced off to the left dead.

Paddled a mini one man canoe/kayak thingy the land owner had loaned me out to this doe. Looped a rope around it's neck and paddled back with the other end. Handed the rope to Mike and he trolled it in for me while I took a pic.

It hit me thinking about this today, I think the issue is that they are almost dead, and on the last gasp of oxygen they are in an absolute panic, and may not even see the tree (or cliff - YIKES!). They are just running as fast as they can and wham.

I shot a buck with a muzzleloader years ago that ran off after being hit. He went about 30 yards and went to jump over a deadfall. He just fell over backwards and died with all four legs up in the air leaning against the tree. I saw the whole thing happen and still to this day can picture it in my mind.

Notme will call that the "George of the Jungle doe".

I have had them run into tree many times. I have always assumed that with quick blood loss deer go blind many times before collapsing.

I had a few do the death flip after heart shots,I had a big spike in the snow run up to the base of my tree after a 20 yard shot and look back at my arrow that passed thru him and was looking at the blinking nock where he was standing so as he started to walk off I put another arrow in him the 2nd double lung shot caused him to run full bore and he leaped into a lone bush of mountain laurel 60 yards away so I followed the nice blood trail to the bush and walked around it and said where the heck did he go no blood no tracks so I pushed into the bush and he must of leaped all 4 legs where tucked under and his neck and head where on his back perfectly hidden on top of the caved in bush I was so glad there was snow on the ground I probable would of looked for hrs on that one . I shot one once a nice 8pt at 15 yards while sitting on the ground behind a deadfall with the shotgun and had it run right at me caused me to pull the trigger and I took off the right beam and he dropped dead about 35 yards past me after he made a quick left turn . There are so many stories to tell not enough time to type them all.

I think it has to do with being delirious from blood loss. And maybe a last burst of adrenaline?

I've had a deer do the back flip thing just before dying. Kind of freaked me out when I saw it.

I killed my biggest deer with a rifle, after the shot it took off running and ran head first into a tree about thirty yards away. My beautiful 10 pointer was now a 9 pointer, the G3 busted off at the base. I looked for an hour trying to find it with no luck. The following spring turkey hunting the same area I took a friend over to where the deer hit the tree and told him the story about the broken antler tine I lost last fall. He looks down at the ground for 10 seconds and picks up the broken tine in perfect condition. I couldn't believe it, I was excited and brought it right to the taxidermist where my deer was getting mounted and it was a perfect fit. Mount looks awesome and would never know it was broken off.

Shot a double one morning and the first one ran out of sight and this is what I found. The second one ran 15 yards straight into a big tree then flipped over backwards and didn't even twitch. Another time I shot a buck in the chest with the muzzleloader and it ran towards my tree but hit a stump hidden in some pricker bushes and did a full front flip right in front of me and never got back up. Shot a doe last season with the muzzleloader and she ran directly into a huge pricker bush and got wedged in there standing straight up stone dead. I almost shot her again when I walked up to her. Wish I took a pic. Another buck shot with the shot gun ran in a semi circle onto a steep little hill behind my stand than fell down dead and rolled down the hill getting hung up on the tree I was in laying upside down looking straight up at me.

How about this one fellas. Last year I had this six come through about 3-4 times but his left antler was broken off so he was now a three. I decided to take him(freezer was getting low) He ran about 30 yards directly into this tree and broke off the other antler, then was nothing but a button buck.

Sorry for the sideways pic. New here

Yet another.

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