I'd like to see how this buck got around:

The local wildlife veterinarian should have gotten a little more religious about the hoof trims! I bet this buck hung up when he tried to run...

I took a Kudu with same type of hooves some years ago in Zimbabwe. I later saw a picture of a Kudu with same type of hoof formation in Magnum magazine (from so. Africa) but the associated narrative was in Afrikaans. I contacted Magnum and they sent me a translation. Their explanation was the animal lived in a marshy/sandy environment that didn't keep the hooves trimmed. That was not te case with the one I killed as the ground was VERY hard.

It looks similar to horses when they founder from eating too much green, wet grass. It looks like you did the right thing by euthanizing him with a lead injection. Lou

It's likely genetic. I've never seen it in deer, but it's common in cattle, especially in one line of Herefords that I used to raise. Some people will tell you it is a result of soft soils, but that is obviuosly not the case since only a few individuals ever exhibit the trait. I would assume that the genetic tendency occurs in all split-hoofed animals from time to time.

The rocking chair buck!

I have seen this happen to milk cows (holsteins, gernseys, jerseys). In cattle it is mostly caused by animals being penned up and not walking around to wear their hooves down. Then the farmer has to trim them. This also happens to horses.

It could very well be genetic in wild animals, maybe, especially in high density populations or in game farming where inbreeding could and does occur; emphasizing the recessive traits. Not to sound gross, but genetic anomolies happen in humans (namely ancient royalty) and purebred animals where the bloodlines need to be "clean".

Not to offend or judge, but was this deer a caged animal or pet that was then killed? I can't imagine a wild animal surviving very long if it wasn't.

You did a good deed by removing it from the population either way.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. Lou:
It looks similar to horses when they founder from eating too much green, wet grass. It looks like you did the right thing by euthanizing him with a lead injection. Lou

When I emailed this to another AR member, that is what he said.

And let me clarify: I did not take this deer. These photos were emailed to me from a friend in Columbus. There is a rumor that it was taken near a closed nuclear uranium processing facility near Ross, OH.

Intertisting He would leave a hell of track in the snow.

Looks like he was crossed with a sitatunga!

Bizarre . . .

I've checked several other sites, and they seem to all show the deer being struck and killed by a truck somewhere in Wisconsin. Here's what they had to say about it on a PSE-archery forum:

"The deer was hit and killed by a truck near Alma, WI. According to a local newspaper, biologists speculated that a diet high in proteins and minerals caused the deer to grow those long, curved hooves.
We ran the photo by a couple of our resident scientists and they said that while they may be off base, they suspect the animal was from a captive herd. They say that when a deer is fed excessive starch, primarily corn, “founder lesions†like elongated hooves can occur. EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease) and other diseases often cause deer hooves to crack, slough, etc., but not elongate and curve like that.
Body and rack wise, the buck was in good shape. Our biologists believe he was able to survive and prosper on those hooves because he was “on welfare.†They point out that many deer become dependant on backyard feeders and thus consume excessive corn/starch. While the animals might not be captive behind a fence or in a compound per se, they are conditioned to feed where groceries are easily accessible. You've heard it before--don't feed the deer!
BTW, the buck was reportedly placed in walk-in cooler at a bait shop for safe keeping. The owner of the shop said he planned a full-body mount."

The Kudu I shot in Zimbabwe was niether captive herd nor in a small enclosure. He was a free ranging animal in the LowVeldt near West Nicholson and I can assure you he was in excellant shape other than the elongated hooves which I understand are common to Sitatunga. I have never recieved a satisfactory answer of any I have queried about the condition. In Zimbabwe the answer was usually 'you see them occaisonally' but I don't know what causes it.

I've seen this on a cow elk and a doe antelope. Neither were quite as spectacular as this one, but both were pretty weird. Both animals were very, very old judging by their teeth....

I killed a mule deer on mt trumbull, arizona strip in the late 60's that had hooves curled around till they touched on top. The game warden at the check station said he was 11 or 12. He lived on a oak ridge with a spring ar the head of it and so he ttraveled very little.

I shot a Red stag a few weeks ago who had been living in a tall maize feild next to a barley feild. He"d been hiding in the maize and eating the barley. His hooves were long and deformed, not as bad as those pictured. I put it down to the soft, cultivated soil and not walking about enough when he had eveyting he needed right there, but his diet would fit in with what is mentioned above. Also, I"ve never seen so much fat on an animal!
good shooting

They look like the hooves on a foundered cow or horse, and that is basically what they're telling EicT.

I've seen the same condition on a zebra once..

I shot a roe fawn with the same type of deformity some years back. He was somewhat slow at running, and was considered a good kill due to his handicap.
- mike

Here is a moose like that!

sorry forgot to put the url in.
http://www.mainehuntingforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=377

interesting. I guess this anomoly is a bit more common than I thought.

He's foundered. I would bet he has been eating a great deal of green corn, wheat, oats, aka grains. I have seen one cow elk that was about 1/2 that bad. Have seen a few white tail also, these white tails were known corn thieves!

Rumen Acidosis

Seems to be a possible explanation at that link.

There was a similar photo [though not to that extent] in the PA Game Commission magazine.They stated that it can be caused by people feeding the deer but not with the correct nutrients.