azpackhorse Report post Posted November 29, 2004 I ran across something strange yesterday and was wondering if anyone else has seen the same thing. A freind and I were calling coyotes down south yesterday when he glassed up what appeared to be a large mule deer buck dead on the side of a hill. We watched him for a while, he was laying up hill with his head streched out leaning on his massive antlers, I would have bet my last dime that he was dead. We figured that someone had shot him and lost the trail. So I called AZ G&F and reported it, the officer told me to keep an eye on him and wait. Meanwhile I decided to get a little closer, we got about 100yds away and were talking in a normal tone when suddenly he picked his head up. I could see that his shoulder looked wet but he never did look right at us. He eventually got up and went over the hill. I ended up showing the officer where I last saw him and he said more than likely he had been run real hard and was simply exhausted. I have never came across a deer that was totally, crashed-out asleep. The wet spot on his shoulder appeared to be slobber, like he had been licking it. This buck was a large 4x5 probably in the 170 class range. Anyone ever seen something like this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COUESAZ Report post Posted November 29, 2004 Deer will go into distress very easy. When they do it is kind of like shock so he may have been run by something. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azcouesandelk Report post Posted November 29, 2004 That is odd. I have never heard of or seen a deer act like that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azpackhorse Report post Posted November 29, 2004 Here is a picture of the "sleepy buck", a little fuzzy but you can get somewhat of an idea of his size. Notice the white spot on his shoulder. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rembrant Report post Posted November 29, 2004 A buddy of mine was hunting archery bull in 5B N last year, when he walked up on a dead bull in the junipers. A nice big 6 point laying there with his rack rested up against a small tree, legs out stretched and flies buzzing all around him. He stood there at 40 yds and contemplated the legality of obtaining such a fine rack - since whoever killed the bull had apparently lost it. You guessed it. The wind changed direction, the bull stood up, wheeled and took off! He was just snoozing! All my friend could do was stand there with no arrow nocked and watch him leave. Mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
az4life Report post Posted November 29, 2004 Rembrandt After I do something like that, I find it very hard to walk while kicking myself. Just add both of these to the strange but true files. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Benbrown Report post Posted November 29, 2004 Back in the Pleistocene, when I was doing graduate work on the King Ranch in Texas, there was an extensive die-off in the nilgai antelope that I was studying. I spent almost a month walking the brush rows (most of these animals died on the lee side of a motte or line of trees) and conducting post-mortems on dead animals that I encountered (a total of 407--hard work!). At any rate, one day I saw a large whitetail buck stretched out and looking just as dead as the animals that I had been posting. Since we had supposed that we were dealing with a disease outbreak, I had been wondering why I wasn't finding whitetails, axis deer, feral hogs or javelina that were sick or dead. When I saw this buck stretched out, I thought "Aha--at last I have found a dead deer to post". I walked up and grabbbed one of his antlers to pull his body out straight and found myself hanging on to a large buck that was very much alive. He nearly janked my arm out it its socket as he exploded from the ground and began dragging me in the general direction of Raymondville, since I was too surprised to let go right away! Since then, I have occasionally seen both whitetails and mule deer asleep in various positions, some of them looking just as dead as the first one I encountered. Now, if I am wondering, I just throw rocks or sticks at them... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kwp Report post Posted November 30, 2004 Last January my brother and I glassed up a BIG coues buck (115-120) that was beaded and had 20-30 does milling around. We came up with a plan for my brother to put a stalk on it while I stayed and watched. The stalk took over 2 hours and I was only about 200 yards away so I had a great view of him. The stalk took so long because my brother back tracked a lot and then took his boots off when he got within about 150 yards. The buck put his head down on his legs a couple of times, kindof like a dog, and appeared to be asleep. Most of the time while I was watching him he had his head up but was doing the head-bob, kindof like I do during my boring college classes. It was just really funny watching this monster buck fall asleep with his head up and then wake up when his top heavy head fell over. Other than this I have never seen a big game animal that was truely asleep. I always thought that they just rested while still being alert. Apparently this buck was still somewhat alert even though he was asleep. My brother got to about 65 yards away when the wind shifted, the buck lifted his head up, jumped up and took off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RSM Report post Posted November 30, 2004 I've seen it twice. Scared the wits out of me both times. First time I was watching bighorn sheep on their winter range just outside the northern edge of Yellowstone Park. A bunch of rams fed over a little rise, but I could see one big ol' ram laying on the ground, his head resting to the side, propped up by his heavy horns. This was many years ago, and collecting dead horns was okay, so I thought I'd go over and pick up the head. I casually walked over to the dead ram and when I was about 5 yards away, the dead ram became airborne, swapped ends, and was standing facing me with a I'm-about-to-whip-your-butt, steam-blowing-blowing-out-the-nostrils look. To this day I wonder just how high my pulse rate went. The other time was in Northern New Mexico about 10 years ago. I was hiking a little, isolated hill top, north of Tres Piedras and saw a dead 5x5 bull laying on the ground behind a juniper. Head tilted over, legs strecthed out, no sign of life. I told my buddy I was going to check out the dead bull. This time I actual was reaching out to grab one of the antlers, when the moutain of hair and antlers jumped off and trotted down the hill. Again, an involuntary cardio-stress test. So, they do sleep. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m1280 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 cmon lark i'm at work (bored) or vice versa, tell us a story i need a laugh, i'm sure bullwidgeon has an adventure, break out fellas Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GRONG Report post Posted November 30, 2004 Hilarious stories, wish I had one to throw in here too. Keep em coming. Josh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CHD Report post Posted November 30, 2004 I once came upon a coyote lying perfectly on his side like he had been positioned there while hunting in NW Colorado. He even chose a level, sandy, soft spot. I looked for a while and decided he was plenty dead, and it was wierd, and moved down toward him. When I got real close he came to life, along with several others that evidently were doing the same thing. They very groggily moved up the opposite slope one at a time. They evidently didn't hear my shots, as each one slowly moved up the slope and stopped to face me and die. I collected my one and only triple on 'yotes. The sleepiness and carelessness, IMO, is due to too much chasing females and ignoring basic survival needs. Excuse me now as I am beat and have to hit the sack. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m1280 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 you're excused, good night Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted November 30, 2004 Great stories!! Makes me feel kind of inadequate...I mean I have seen deer sleeping like they were dead, but I never walked up to a 120 inch buck or a 180 inch ram. Well, actually that isn't quite true, I did walk up on a 180 inch desert ram once. I came over a boulder pile on a long point and suprised both him and me. Luckily he jumped up and ran away from me rather than at me. He was on the end of a point of rock at a steep canyon and had no where to run but about 10 yards from me. Got to watch him up close for 30 mins or more until I had to get back to the truck. Good memories...I forgot about that one until I started typing! Amanda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bullwidgeon Report post Posted November 30, 2004 My uncle glassed up a freakhorn 4x6 elk rack with really light colored antlers on my elk hunt this September. We thought for sure it was a pickup head for quite a long time (we couldnt make out the body in the junipers and it was leaning sideways at a goofy angle in the tree like it was at rest there). After about 30 minutes of us looking for other elk before we decided to hike over there and gather it up, the rack changed position. Then awhile later the bull got up and took a leak and we got to see the rest of the body. I am sure that bull was all crashed out and dead to the world and tired after getting his hiney kicked all night by some herd bull, I reckon I would be tired too after a long night of fighting and chasing the ladies around. I couldn't make out any drool spots on him though. That is pretty unique about that muley... Bret M. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
