We did the injured deer research last year when a coworker noticed one on their property. The doe was wounded badly enough that she couldn't get up for a few days.
The Dept. of Wildlife noted (with video backups) that deer really are resilient- their bodies will take care of things as needed. They will try to heal the injured limb, but if it can't be helped, their blood vessels and nerves close off, and the limb eventually sloughs off (can I get an "ewww, gross!"). This does not hinder their quality of life, since grazing is just as easy with three legs. Hunters don't generally want defective deer, so if they are paying attention they will NOT want to shoot it.
Your deer looks like there is still blood circulating just fine to the leg, so it may be a permanent wonky hanging limb for her. And if it's not actively wounded now, I bet she'll be fine in the winter, too.
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Date: 2012-06-06 03:40 am (UTC)The Dept. of Wildlife noted (with video backups) that deer really are resilient- their bodies will take care of things as needed. They will try to heal the injured limb, but if it can't be helped, their blood vessels and nerves close off, and the limb eventually sloughs off (can I get an "ewww, gross!"). This does not hinder their quality of life, since grazing is just as easy with three legs. Hunters don't generally want defective deer, so if they are paying attention they will NOT want to shoot it.
Your deer looks like there is still blood circulating just fine to the leg, so it may be a permanent wonky hanging limb for her. And if it's not actively wounded now, I bet she'll be fine in the winter, too.