Miss my old Bud.......

It was around this time 2 years ago that he went away over the hill......and crossed the river of sticks.....

Johnathan, What happened to Thunderstrike?

Wayne

He died of capture myopathy. We ignorantly ran him around to much before darting him. You know how it goes when the guy collecting just got there and it seems like he is in a hurry so you tend to get in hurry. Having to be in a hurry with deer is never good. Often that is the case with these guys. They act like they need to be at the next farm yesterday.

Thunderstrike lived about a week after the collection. Initially after reversal he appeared to be fine and woke up fine but you could walk right up to him before he would get up and run. He would go a short distance and lay right back down. I tried everything thiamine shots, b-12, and ringers. Eventually his kidneys shut down. Capture myopathy sucks. It is a condition that is not reversible. Thunderstrike semen is often put on whitetail exchange by Randy Clark. I think he collected him the day he was moved to our farm. I do not know the quality of the collection. The semen consigned on whitetail exchange might appear to be coming from our farm because those are our comments about Thunderstrike and our pictures that are being used. I hate to see the buck exploited. We have worked at protecting his bloodline leaving our farm. There have been 200" yearlings from him. We have sold beautiful hunt bucks out of him. We have only had one breeder quality buck out of him on our farm by our standards.

Beautiful deer!

Jonathan, now thats a true monarch of a deer ! Did he ever pass on those matching drops to his offspring ? M Kwitowski

Mark

I have some two and three year olds out of him showing them but none that long. He didn't grow them until he was six years old. That is when old Thunderstorm his sire started growing his. He started showing the bumps for them at four.

Beautiful deer, Jonathan. Sorry for your loss.

Thunderstrike was stunning to say the least.  Unfortunately lessons make us wiser in the long run.  If only it can help someone else not do the same thing.  If I remember right it was pretty windy that day.  Never easy when the wind is blowing, they are always on high alert.  Lesson learned is that if the situation is not right put the gun down.


And it always amazes me how we can get attached to something we rarely ever get to touch.

Jerri Lee

I too remember that it was windy that day and we know how that makes all of them edgier. I remember the call I got to go ahead and try to dart him about a half an hour before Earl got there. I will never be pressured by time to get a deer darted again. I knew better and was naive. I pushed Thunderstrike that day. Normally he would have walked under Coby instead of running around but because of the windy conditions that day he got worked up. I should have insisted on waiting until he wasn't as worked up an edgy. I hope this hard lesson learned by me may be a lesson for others like you mentioned. Do not succumb to pressure by anyone else's schedule that puts your deer at risk. Take the time and work at a speed that keeps your animals safe and alive.

Jonathan,  This is such valuable information. I worked my deer on Saturday. We were all new at this including the vet. and the first time with a new handling barn. I was already sick at my stomach from fighting EHD and then the worry of getting the deer worked, tested and placed in the correct pens.Thanks for sharing. It's a terrible loss and experience but could save many others. I will remember this story and Thunderstrike each time I work deer from now on.