This was rougher than expected

[Code]

Was bushogging the side hill that i only do twice a year. Chugging along and thought i hit a small branch or something. Based on the mess it was a pretty new fawn. Never had that happen before. Poor thing. At least it was quick though. Odd i didn't see it as i watch for turtles etc on that hill after i hit one last year. Its been in my head all day

 

[ZTMAN]

I know what you mean. Hit a rabbits nest with a push mower years ago. Hitting the nest was ad enough but some of them were severely injured but still alive.
Had to put them out of their misery. Things happen

 

[Magicman]

Yes, sadly that fawn was doing exactly what nature told it to do....lay low. Farmers also get a few cutting hay.

 

[NCL4701]

Same here. Ran over a rabbit nest with the bush hog last year. Didn’t know it until the next pass when I saw two tiny rabbits that didn’t have their eyes open yet which were fine and one that was a mangled mess. The mother arrived and carted the survivors off before I finished the field. I disposed of what was left of the one that died. No way I could have seen them. I hunt, sometimes rabbits, but hitting a newborn with a bush hog v intentionally shooting an adult in season is different. It bothered me even though I knew the only way to have avoided was to not mow a field that needed mowing.

Most things move. The very young won’t or can’t. Hazard of spring and early summer mowing of heavy grass. It happens. Try not to beat yourself up about it.

 

[Diamond Jim]

Same exact thing happened to me 3 days ago. I hunt and take deer every year but hitting a newborn with the bush hog makes you sad. I get it.

 

[OrangeKrush]

I hear ya.. heck I hit a squirrel a little while back and felt bad the rest of the night. The little guy changed his mind half way across the road.

 

[Code]

Need to mow the back field tomorrow and really not in the mood to. May need it to wait a day and work in the garden instead. Not like I dont have 100 other things to do.

 

[Mondo]

Same happended to me this past Tuesday. Field was only about 10 inches high as was cutting nice and slow. out of the corner of my eye I saw the fawn running along the side of me. Fortunately nothing happened so she/he is safe for another time. I have an small old barn I dont use and its comical the doe's look thru the windows from the outside, jump in and clear out a depression in the dirt to give birth. Its as if they use it as a nursery.

 

[old and tired]

We lost a dozen turkey eggs when I scared off the mother from her nest. I do a full cut of 13 acres in Feb./March and I don't cut anything for the rest of the year, other than some paths in the field.

 

[Code]

Yea this is my full cut. Rest of the time its walking paths on the border

We lost a dozen turkey eggs when I scared off the mother from her nest. I do a full cut of 13 acres in Feb./March and I don't cut anything for the rest of the year, other than some paths in the field.

 

[RCW]

When we were farming, we'd occasionally get a fawn doing hay. Sad thing.

Sometimes we'd have my 20-30 year-old uncles (5 of them) from the "City" help us do hay. All square bales in the hay mow back then.

Nothing funnier than have a grown man squeal like a girl when they find a snake in a square bale....

 

[WFM]

Here in the northeast it has to be the year of the groundhog. I've shot four here and my hired man has shot three at his place and my sister has shot several at her house.
I have three acres I bush hog. Thank God no fawns hit so far.

 

[Russell King]

It may be possible to avoid the fawning season by mowing the grass a few weeks earlier or later in the year. They generally have a fairly small time frame in a given area and that may need to expand a couple of weeks on start and finish to be real safe. Talking with your local agricultural agents will get you good local information for your area. I try to avoid mowing until the middle of summer if possible to avoid that problem.

But for a while we had imported deer (Axis) that would fawn about all year. They have hopefully been hunted to extinction in the area. At least we don’t see them any longer.

 

[torch]

I had a dead tree come down a few years back. Put the chainsaw right through a nest of baby flying squirrels inside.

 

[old and tired]

...Put the chainsaw right through a nest of baby flying squirrels inside.

You win... (or lose, depending on your point of view!?!)

Up close and personal...

 

[Henro]

You win... (or lose, depending on your point of view!?!)

Up close and personal...

Those memories stay with you for a long time...

Probably 35 years ago I was cutting grass (that was kind of high) when we only had 1.5 acres, using a lawn tractor, and ended up cutting the top half off a turtles shell...I still remember seeing eggs developing inside...it was a female obviously...felt bad then and do now too...

Once again years ago, I cut over a rabbit's nest. Good memory there, apparently somehow did not hurt any of the little ones...left that area alone for a while and assume there was a happy ending...

 

[Bmyers]

Posted this over on What did you do today on your Kubota:

Hauled it back to the farm and did some mowing. After reading several post talking about different ones running over fawns, I was being extra careful today, didn't want to add my name to the list. Did a nice walk around before starting and was watching careful. Was backing into some high grass/weed along a washout, then heard a God awful sound and smacking around under the mower and I knew what i had just did.

I pulled forward, turned off the tractor, took off the sun glasses, and didn't want to get out of the cab, but I knew I couldn't leave it there suffering. I crawled out of the cab, pulled out my pistol and started walking to the back, figuring most likely it would be chopped to pieces, but if it wasn't dead, I wasn't going to let it suffer.

Got to spot, sure enough, sliced all up......................an old tire. Talk about being relieved.

I was sure I had joined the fawn killer club, but was so happy that it was just an old tire.

 

[jimh406]

My uncles/cousins were always bummed when they ran over a fawn. They hayed for decades before there was enough deer for it to be an issue.

I mowed in Winter for most of what could be long enough for an issue. It’s pretty dry here with only about 12 inches of rain a year and no irrigation on my property. The fawns will be up and about before my hay field is hayed by my neighbor, so that will be good.

 

[mcfarmall]

Michigan roads are littered with splattered deer. I love venison just as much as the next guy but stuff happens. Every cloud has a silver lining...1-the local buzzards get an easy meal, 2-there is less financial impact to thinning the herd via bush hog versus the bumper of my truck. Not to mention the risk to personal injury should a big fat buck decide to go through your windshield or that of the car behind you.