Hunter Wounds Buck, Recovers It Hours Later After It’s Hit By a Car

Jake Dahlke was driving home from his hunting lease in Prescott, Wisconsin, last Friday when he spotted a car pulled over on the side of the road. As he approached, he noticed something lying in the ditch across the road.

Dahlke walked over to the car to check on the teenage driver, who was visibly upset. After making sure she was okay, he went to investigate the object in the ditch. It was a buck.

The buck had a deep slice across its neck that looked like a wound from a broadhead. Dahlke realized that this might be the same deer he had shot earlier that evening.

Letting the Arrow Fly

Dahlke began his first hunt of the season around 4 p.m. on Sept. 23. He wasn’t expecting much, but he had seen a 10-point buck on his trail cameras previously. Sitting in a ground blind near a bean field, he was just observing when a doe appeared.

Shortly after, a larger deer emerged from the woods. Though Dahlke couldn’t see it clearly, he knew it was a deer worth shooting. He took aim and fired his crossbow.

The shot didn’t sound right, and the buck ran into the woods seemingly unharmed. Dahlke found a small amount of dark red blood when he went to investigate. Concerned, he decided to return the next morning with a tracking dog.

Before leaving, he contacted a local tracking group for assistance. He also asked his neighbor for permission to track the deer on his property.

Exhausted, he headed home and came across the roadkill scene.

Putting Two and Two Together

As Dahlke stood by the dead deer, a local tracker called him back. Before he could explain the situation, a state trooper arrived.

The trooper informed Dahlke that he couldn’t move the deer, but he had two options. He could contact the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to retrieve the deer or receive a roadkill tag to keep it.

Dahlke considered both options, not knowing whether the roadkill buck was his. He decided to take it to a butcher recommended by his neighbor. The next morning, he returned to the hunting lease with the tracker and his dog.

They tracked the deer to the road but were unable to continue due to live deer distracting the dog. Dahlke believes that the dead buck is likely the same deer he shot, based on the wound, the dog’s direction, and its resemblance to the deer on his trail camera.

The butcher has already donated the meat, and Dahlke will have a euro mount made of the rack. While it’s not the ideal ending, Dahlke has some closure to his hunt.