I headed out to try a little BG fishing this morning, before work. The biggest pond here has an island out in it, accessible from the mainland by a 30' wooden bridge. And as the far side of the island faces the dam, it drops off to a deep water basin pretty quickly and can provide some good fish stacked up on that transition this time of year.
I'm crossing the bridge with a full head of steam when I hear a commotion...and that's when I see it:
She's standing right where I want to fish. A couple things came to mind right off the bat, one being the cool factor of seeing a deer on the island, the other was the realization that I'm standing between her and the only way off this island, unless she wants to pull a Michael Phelps.
I can't say that I've ever tangled with an inherently aggressive deer, but I've seen plenty of freaked out panicked ones, and this scenario appeared to offer ample opportunity in that regard....possibly for both of us.
The island is physically big enough for the two of us to coexist peacefully, especially for a short time. The mental aspect of trying that seemed problematic at best however, so I decided she needed to go. Since I don't know St Croix's warranty policy on repairing a rod broken by a rampaging deer, I leaned it up tight against a tree and dropped down to the water's edge and began to work my way around to the deer. As I got closer, I saw the injury... a broken right front leg.
I assume it was due to a gunshot, but she would not allow me a good look at that side:
Now I'm wondering if I shouldn't go home and return with a firearm, to put her out of her misery. I don't hunt deer, and wouldn't process the animal, so either way the end result would be the same...coyote food. Before I can decide, she bolts down to the other end of the island and jumps in. She half swam, half ran (right beside the bridge, in fairly shallow (3') water..) to the mainland. I could see her shivering when she climbed out.
I figure she won't last the day. That's the second time in as many years that I've cornered a wounded deer on this island. I'm curious as to why?
