Swimming muley

[Bullnuts]

Me and the kids were fishing last fall on the reservoir by my house when we saw this deer step into the water and start swimming across a deep, wide section of water. This section was about 250 yards across and deep. It didn't look like the deer was spooked, he was just swimming to get to the other side. I had no idea that muleys were so adept swimmers!

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[bullrub]

cool Pics

[Freebird134]

Very cool!!!

Deer are very capable swimmers. But it's still weird every time I see it.

[Bullnuts]

Yea, I kept my distance in the boat, but figured I could rope him and drag him to the shore if he started to drown. No help needed though!

[Harmy]

I have witnessed swimming mule deer many times. As a kid we used to hunt my grandfather's land which had about 5 miles of river front property along the Green River. We would push the river bottoms and flush out deer all the time. They often jumped in and swam to the other side to get away. One time I had to jump in and swim after one that expired in the water...

[bullrub]

I have also seen swimming mule deer many times in the Columbia River going to and from Blalock Island.

[BarW]

I live close to several lakes in deep east Texas and we hunt the islands in those lakes on regular basis with good success. See whitetails swimming all the time. Btw I wouldn't advise roping a deer I've seen it attempted both in the water and on dry land, let's just say things get real western real fast.

[cnelk]

As the summer turns to fall, the deer's hair becomes hollow to insulate them for the winter cold.
And thus they become very buoyant in the water!

Not that they cant swim during the summer months, but the 'cork-like' action would sure make it easier!

[LckyTylr]

I have seen whitetails swim before, much faster than I would have thought. My Dad killed a spike one year during a drive that he thought was a doe. I was one of the pushers. As the drive ended, I met up with my Dad and he told me that he shot a doe and she ran towards the river. We gave her another 25 minutes or so, then went looking. Right at the river bank, she jumped up, ran down the bank and died right in the middle of the swift current. This was Thanksgiving day and 24 degrees out. I had already killed my buck for the year, so I wasn't carrying a rifle. Dad simply looked at me with the expression of "Well, what are you waiting for?" I blurted out "What, you want me to go get her?". He explained quickly that it made more sense for me to go get her since I didn't have a gun. I hustled down the bank and waded into the current which quickly turned to swimming down the river after the "doe". As I got up close and was planning on grabbing the flailing "doe" by her ears, I noticed two daggers flailing about trying to gore me. After a bit of a fiasco and several hundred feet down the river, I managed to grab one of the spikes and the deer had finally expired. By the time I got him to shore, I had been fully submerged at least once, was exhausted, and colder than I have ever been. I owed Dad a gut job from earlier in the season, and I owed him a drag (he had gutted and dragged out a deer for me so I could make it to school on time one morning). Do you know how hard it is to drag a wet deer across a frozen plowed field? Ugh.

Anyway, deer can swim, even when dying.

[T/H]

awesome pics Bullnuts! did you catch any fish?

[Bullnuts]

Ha ha! We ALWAYS catch fish!

[Swede]

I lived close enough to the river when I was a kid that I could stand on the back porch and throw a stone across to the other side. I still remember seeing deer in the water. On one occasion the river was a flooding torrent when a nice buck rather easily swam across. I wish I had a picture, but I never have a camera during those once in a lifetime events.