Killed this bird in Kentucky Wednesday. He showed no ill effects from his injury. I saw him on several occasions hanging with two other long beards and a Jake. He walked without a limp and you couldn't tell one long beard from another. I'm guessing the callus is from walking on his knuckles. You could see his leg bone and tendons, some of which were severed. He also had some discoloration on his opposite leg around what would be our knee joint. And also an injury to his chest bone. Any idea what could have caused such an injury? It amazes me how tough these critters can be, I'd love to hear the story's some of them could tell.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/olesixbeards/P5020147.jpg)
Nope, no other shot in him that I could find. It looks like he may have been in flight and hit something head on, like a fence or something. All the scales and skin on his worst leg looked like they had been pealed back from his knee to his ankle.
I have seen a gobbler with burned feet and missing toes from walking in burned woods I figure. His feet were all messed up. I have never seen anything like that. Do you think someone might have left out some sort of steel trap or snare?
Maybe a predetor caught him.
A buddy of mine does deer processing in the fall and was telling me about a buck that he had gotten in to process. The deer had a toy tonka truck tire hung on his leg. It was all the way up to the deers elbow and had just about taken the deer's front leg off. The leg was useless like the tired had been on their for years. I guess anything is possible if something like that happened.
looks like a predator..yote or bobcat.
Gman
My guess would be a larger predator like a coyote, maybe bobcat.
Im going to say it was from a close call with a predator, also.
I'm guessin predator as well. A yote probably had a nasty hold of his leg and he flapped his way outta it.
No clue about the damage BUT the important thing is that the spur is still perfectly intact ;D
May have flew into a fence.
Quote from: Skeeterbait on May 04, 2012, 08:34:04 AM
My guess would be a larger predator like a coyote, maybe bobcat.
This was my first thought. Congrats on a nice turkey anyway.
TRKYHTR
Chaffed from being tied to a tree?
Quote from: gotcha on May 04, 2012, 05:18:48 PM
Chaffed from being tied to a tree?
:TooFunny:
I'm going to start putting the rope around their neck.
Maybe someone tried to limb shoot him last year :-\
My guess is a predator as well, or maybe it ocurred during flydown?
I have heard of some bad things happening on re-entry. ;D
Based on the chest injury I'm guessing he hit something while in flight like a fence, metal roofing or car hood. It looked like all his scales and skin were peeled back from the knee joint down to the ankle. I'd love to know the whole story.
Ouch! I would say your guess is in the neighborhood. I killed one several years ago that was in rough shape but not that bad. His thighs and breast were eat up with gain green and stunk to high heaven but acted normal. Mine got his butt whooped I believe though cause he looked like a pin cushion
it is amazing what animals can survive