When Winter Storm Isabella pounded northeast Wisconsin this past weekend, I felt trapped. We received 7 inches of snow on Thursday, then got pounded with another 10 inches between Saturday and Sunday. However, my predicament was nothing compared to what I witnessed this past weekend.

I first noticed this three-legged deer outside our home around Christmas-time. First appearances warranted assumptions that the buck received a broken back leg during the state's November gun season. Those assumptions might prove false.

The buck appeared otherwise healthy back then; moving around with surprising agility as it browsed from its bedding area to a frost valley filled with aspen, white pine and young-growth hickory. This recent snowstorm, however, killed the yearling buck.

There was nothing I could do to save this deer from its icy death. That haunts me, yet serves as a stark reminder of nature's harsh reality. With 36 inches of snow on the level in the woods, the young buck's fate was sealed well before I snapped the first photo of it browsing tree buds on Saturday.  The second photo shows how difficult it was for the deer to navigate. It would take a step and fall heafirst into the snow...take a step and fall. It was very painful to watch.

Despite browsing heavily throughout the snowstorm, which lasted well over 12 hours, the young buck died shortly thereafter. I will have to wait until spring to learn exactly what killed the deer, but an initial inspection of the kill site makes me believe the deer was hit by a car. The hind leg showed no bullet wounds. There were a few lacerations and some scar tissue near the "kneecap" area.

--Dan Schmidt
D&DH Editor