There's something really off about that. A deer is not going to start doing the dominance thing with a dead deer. On top of that, it is really really rare for antlers to get locked up so badly the deer cannot disengage. I have a feeling this pair was seen by hunters who plugged one of them. As the animal fell, or twisted, or jumped, the antlers became locked.
By the way, I am not saying the hunters did anything wrong, if that's indeed what happened. I myself used to hunt, and I probably would have taken one too :)
Hmmm. A couple observations. I went to Oregon State, and the soil in parts of the Coast Range there is almost unique- it's an odd type of clay, and the soil in the photos has that look to it. But it's awfully dry for Thanksgiving. And something that contradicts my hunter theory- the guy in the photo does not look like he's dressed for deer season. Just tack it up on the "Life's Little Mysteries" bulletin board, I guess.
All right, this thread is old as fuck but I have a couple of things to say. The first is, why do people speak with The Voice of Authority on subjects they obviously know little about?
1. Bucks in breeding season will fight ANYTHING. Trees, cars, horses, whatever.
2. It's really, really common for antlers to get locked up so badly the bucks cannot disengage. It usually leads to slow starvation for both bucks.
3. The dead one has obviously been dead for quite some time... look at how collapsed its sides are, the liquifecation of its entrails evident under the tail, and the hair sloughing off. Due to the location, I'ma guess roadkill. Meanwhile, the live buck looks pretty healthy, not like it's been locked up with a dead buck for very long.
4. That is OBVIOUSLY not the Coast Range... that's the east side of the Cascades, which is evident by both the soil and the flora.
5. Given the location, dry for Thanksgiving is typical.
-Oregon born and raised.
