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[pigeonflier]

Duck hunt turns into deer fishing
OUTDOORS: COMMENTARY

By LOUIE STOUT
Bart Tragesser (left) and Chris McDonald of South Bend display the racks of two dead deer they found floating in a pond. The animals' bodies were intact and antlers were entangled, leading the hunters to believe the bucks had been embroiled in a battle over a doe before falling into the pond where they drown.
Photo provided



If the Outdoor Channel should decide to produce an outdoorsman's Twilight Zone, South Bend's Chris McDonald would make a good host.

At the age of 31, the Michiana hunter has found himself involved in more unusual experiences than most sportsmen see in a lifetime.

Before we describe his recent encounter, recall a story we did nearly a year ago. While hunting ducks on the St. Joseph River on opening day, a man appeared on the bank and began shouting obscenities, accusing McDonald and other hunters of waking him with the killing of "his ducks."

During his rage, the man allegedly broke into McDonald's vehicle, stole money and damaged a tire. As luck would have it, Indiana conservation officer John Mortimer was in the bushes monitoring hunters. He witnessed the incident and arrested the man for hunter harassment, theft and vandalism. The story was picked up by a variety of media outlets.

Well, last Saturday's rabbit hunting trip is nearly as bizarre.

McDonald and buddy Bart Tragesser of South Bend were on private land between North Liberty and Crumstown, just off the Crumstown Highway. They had permission to hunt the marshy land that included a pond bordered by corn fields and brush.

As they headed into a thicket, McDonald saw something odd in the pond, about 150 yards away.

"That looks like a deer in the water," he told Bart.

"Naw," his friend remarked. "It's just a bush."

They worked their way through the field that circled the pond. But when they got within 40 yards of the "bush" sticking from the water, McDonald couldn't believe his eyes.

Not only was there one deer in the water, but two floated off shore. Close examination revealed two big bucks with locked antlers, the result of an apparent battle over a doe that ended with both animals drowning.

"It was really strange...the deer were floating upright with their feet down, heads under water and their antlers still locked," he said. "Their backs and the tips of their racks were sticking out of water. It had to have happened within a couple of days because they hadn't begun to decompose."

The hunters surmised the entangled bucks either fell or staggered into the pond where they drowned. One was an 11-point and the other a 9-point, and the 9-pointer weighed at least 30 pounds more. Both racks had inside spreads of 17 inches, the kind any deer hunter would display proudly.

"They had small heads but big racks," described McDonald. "I do a lot of hunting, but I've never seen deer like that around here."

The fight must have been brutal. The animals' faces were badly scarred with punctures and scrapes inflicted by antlers and one of the animals had nearly lost its nose.

McDonald phoned the landowner and told him of the discovery.

He and Tragesser were granted permission to take the racks providing they removed the carcasses from the pond.

A rope was lassoed around the head and the bodies pulled to a muddy bank. They couldn't untangle the racks, and to make matters worse, the water level was seven feet below the original shoreline. A steep incline made it impossible for them to pull the deer to dry land.

"We had to remove one of the heads from a body and it took at least another 10 minutes to work the antlers free from the other deer," he described. "We roped the animals individually and dragged them up the hill, where we removed the other head."

On the drive home, the men realized they needed deer tags to legally claim the animals. McDonald called an Indiana Conservation Officer and related the story.

"He advised us we had illegal possession of the deer, and agreed to meet us at the site the next morning," explained McDonald. "When the CO saw the heads and examined the bodies, he believed our story. He wrote us tickets but let us keep the racks."

The men will have the antlers mounted alongside a photo they took of the two animals submerged in the pond.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal," said McDonald.

A rarity, indeed. But for McDonald, the bizarre is becoming more of the norm.
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Feet Down!!!!!

[-Kley-]

haha, that's a great story!! I want to see those pictures!
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-Kley-
Keith D - Website Admin

[wild bill]

PIGEONFLIER I AGREE WHEN IT COMES TO SEEING STRANGE THINGS IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. I FOUND A COUPLE GETTING BUSY ON THE RIVER AND IN THE WOODS BEFORE. ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO SLEEP IN EVERY MORNING MISS A LOT OF FUNNY THINGS NOT PARTICIPATING IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS. THAN AGAIN I HAVE CAUSED SOME CRAZY @$#!&% IN THE MORNINGS MYSELF. WILD BILL.

[Capt Gar]

Life lesson # 47 Never loose your life over a piece of tail!
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Capt. Gar

[pigeonflier]

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Feet Down!!!!!

[wild bill]

DUDES, THAT IS PRETTY COOL HOW THOSE BUCKS LOCKED UP AND TOOK EACH OTHER OUT. GOOD EYE TO SEE THAT IN THE WATER. WILD BILL.

[Quackin-n-Wackin]

Thats wild.