Injured Deer
Filed under: Ask Grant, Deer Biology
Grant, I feed corn to deer at my house. A buck came up that had a bad wound to the left front leg. Can I add something to the corn that will help him “beef” up and help him heal? He is a young deer but had a good 6 point rack so I would like him to pull through the cold weather. Lynn
Lynn,
I’m not aware of any antibiotics, etc., that are licensed to administer to free-ranging deer. However, most wild critters have a tremendous ability to heal without any medications. Unless the wound is infected or a bone is broken, he will probably heal without complication. There is a good chance the left side of his rack will grow in a non-typical form this fall. Injuries on the front legs tend to result in non-typical rack growth on the same side, and injuries behind the shoulders usually result in non-typical antler growth on the opposite side. Let me know how this buck progresses!
Growing Deer together,
Grant