Had to Kill a Deer Today

allen griggs

Brother and I were riding down the road, I spotted a little deer in the ditch.  Six month old deer no spots.
It had been hit by a car.  Hind legs all busted up, bones sticking out etc.
But it was trying to drag itself by its front paws, it was just pathetic to watch.
Brother and I went back to his house, 5 minutes away, and got the 12 gauge.   Shot the deer in the neck with 00 buckshot,  case closed.

It was horrible to see the little creature suffering.  I was gonna take some pictures but it was just too grim.

NeoBlackdog

I had to do that once years ago.  Car in front of me hit it and broke both it's front legs.  I stopped with the 41 and put the little fella out of his misery and the lady passenger in the car that hit it came unglued on me.   The guy driving thanked me but I can still hear that bitter ol' sow reaming me.    Some folks just don't get it.  
Ya done good, Allen. 

Nanuq907

Hats off to you, I hate to see an animal suffer.  I was driving home last winter and some honyok hit a moose and knocked it flat.  Cars were backed up both directions and it was suffering in the middle of the road.  So a guy walked up with a little bitty 9mm and shot it in the head, and it apparently had no effect.  Had to wait for the cops to come with 12ga. slugs.

One nice thing, we have people on standby all over the state and when a call comes in for a moose kill, they retrieve the carcass, butcher it and give the meat to the women's shelters, Catholic Social Services, places like that.

toad67

NeoBlackdog said:

I had to do that once years ago.  Car in front of me hit it and broke both it's front legs.  I stopped with the 41 and put the little fella out of his misery and the lady passenger in the car that hit it came unglued on me.   The guy driving thanked me but I can still hear that bitter ol' sow reaming me.    Some folks just don't get it.  
Ya done good, Allen. 

You should have put in her backseat and told her to take it to the vet.....Unfortunately things like that happen. About 2 years ago I hit 2 deer in 3 days on the north side of Phillips Reservoir........ They're hard on trucks...

select-fire

Hit one with the old dodge yrs ago going to collect rents . It clipped the inside of the rear bumper, spun around and crawled off to a ditch. I turned around and put it out of its misery. Went to a small gas station about a mile up the road. Deer season was in and a couple hunters were inside. I told them to follow me back down the road and they could have a nice doe. They called DNR while I was there.

bpost

Flying Clay Disk said:

I had a guy who worked for me who just about went to prison (not jail, but the big-house, PRISON) for putting an elk down after it got hit by a car in front of him.  It was pinned under the vehicle and mortally wounded.  Lady who was driving was completely freaking out, hysterical.  He went back to his truck, grabbed his pistol and shot it...and the lady who hit it stood right there and called the cops, who in turn called Wildlife!!  Arrested on the spot; went straight to jail with a $25k bond.  Executed a search warrant on his house, seized all of his guns, charged him with like (3) felonies, suspended his hunting privileges for 5 years and just generally threw the book at him.

Took him two years, but he managed to get the felonies reduced to misdemeanors, got his guns back eventually, avoided prison (or jail), but still lost his hunting privileges for 5 years.  Cost him about $50k in attorney fees though.

This guy's life was so squeaky clean he made the Pope look like he needed a shower (seriously); he never even had so much as a parking ticket.  Needless to say, I was pretty shocked when his wife called me and said he wasn't going to be in to work because he was in jail.

When I finally got to talk to him I told him it probably was a good thing it hadn't happened to me because I probably would have gone to prison for homicide of the woman in addition to killing the elk!!

Got him for "Unlawful Euthanasia of a Managed Wild Game Animal", "Unlawful Taking of a Wild Game Animal outside of hunting season", "Illegal discharge of a firearm on, across or near a State highway", "Hunting without a license", "Reckless Endangerment", "Carrying a Concealed Weapon without a permit" and a bunch of other charges.  They literally threw every charge they could dream up on this guy.

I blame the people of the County for even attempting to jail this poor feller.  Lawmen and fin and feather guys backed by a  prosecutor looking to make a name for himself are almost as bad as ANTIFA and BLM.

allen griggs

FCD, that is exactly what I was worried about.  "Shooting next to a road, hunting out of season, etc."
My brother has never done any hunting and I told him of the risk we were taking.   He just laughed at me, he could not believe that you could get in trouble for euthanizing a fatally injured animal.
Even worse, when we first came upon the deer, another guy had stopped, and he was calling the Game Warden.  I told my brother we had to be damn careful and not shoot that animal in front of a Game Warden, you never know how they might react.
The Game Warden was not there when we came back to kill the little deer.
I didn't get any of the meat the whole scene was nauseating to me and I wanted to leave.  I did call my neighbor and he said he was going up to get the deer.   However, an hour later he had not gotten the deer.  I suspect that he went up there and assessed the deer, and it was just too busted up to be worth the trouble.

FCD, what state do you live in that a guy could pile up these charges for an act of mercy?    I hope North Carolina is not as stupid as the cops where you live.

susie

Around my neck of the woods if you hit a deer and it dies you call it in to the locals.  If you want the meat they will log it and let you take it.  If not, they will send someone to retrieve it to provide to a needy family.  Not sure about the euthanizing of a mortally wounded animal.  I am assuming should the need arise one could phone in to the locals, report the situation and wait for them to arrive.  Also, please note the schools in the area close for deer season.  It's the fall break and has been since I was knee high to a grasshopper many moons and suns ago.

mohawk600

you did the right thing.

He Dog

Good job Allen.  I might have put a knife to it's throat.  Just a biological note:  Deer have hooves, not paws.  Well at least the ones in NM do, maybe those Appalachian deer are a little more West Virginia...

BikerBob

Yeah, that was considerate of you Allen.

We usually get one hit a year in front of the house. It’s a big yard.

The last one I shot while the sheriff did the paperwork. I told her less paperwork if you just fill the out salvage permit, and I shoot it than the paperwork you’d do if you discharge your shotgun. It too long from when she was hit, the poor doe was full of adrenaline (I ended up pitching the salvaged meat) as the sheriff was busy calming down the guy that hit it and I didn’t see the lights right away.

The time before that a second car stopped and that lady wanted to call a veterinarian. I got her away while the sheriff shot it. She freaked. It was quick and tasted ok.

I think the faster they can be put down the better for the animal. They can’t humanly, if at all survive a compound fracture.

waltermoe

About 20 years ago I hit a fawn on the way to work, it was maybe only month and a half old, broke the back legs as you described, had to use a fence post that was laying in the ditch near buy. I hate seeing animals hurt and suffering like that.  You did the right thing. 

kannoneer

It is absolutely sickening how the authorities mishandled the elk incident. Actual poachers don't get treated any worse. I am thankful we have practical, sensible law officers here. I have put down numerous deer hit by myself or others- it is inhumane to let the animal suffer. Never a problem.

Toolman286

I didn't bother to count all that I euthanized when I was working. Was always glad if someone wanted to take it. If not, well I had plenty of venison & didn't have to sit in the frozen pre-dawn woods. Routinely told the hysterical women that we had called the deer ambulance. Let them get out of hearing range & bang. It's a shame what they did to that guy.

chme

I was living in Colorado at that time, and recall hearing about the elk incident.  
Coming home here in VA one nite, as i turned in the driveway, big doe laying in th drive, kicking, car strike.  Called the county, told them if it was going to take a long time for a deputy to get there, let me know.  Dispatcher said "Deputy should be to you within 1 to 2 minutes."  HUH?  She said "Yeah- the deputy's  wife hit that one- she just called him."

Butchdog2

Get a call couple times a year from sheriff dept asking to go dispatch a wounded critter. Deputies are not allowed to discharge their weapon for such things. I also hate to see anything suffer.

Mobuck

Not legal to kill a vehicle injured game animal in MO. Same as poaching if you get called on it. 

allen griggs

There you go mobuck, what I did yesterday would be illegal in Missouri.   I wonder if it is illegal here in NC?

Anyway, I knew it might be illegal and might be real illegal but I took the risk.  Couldn't stand to see the little deer suffer.  Kept trying to run, but only could go about 10 feet, dragging its back legs.  I could see four or five bones sticking through the hams, just a shredded bloody mess.   Still makes me sick to think about it.

Years ago, some of y'all will remember it was in 2011 I think, I hit a giant buck in Texas on I 10 east of San Antonio.  Busted up his hind legs, he couldn't move.  I did grab his horns, and cut his throat.  That morning at 1am I found out what a Buck knife was.    That was a pretty grim event as well and I did post photos on this forum.  However I didn't have a gun.
And the deputy handed me the accident form to fill out.  I told him  I was going to get the backstraps.  He said "Don't let the game warden see you.  I am leaving."
In Texas it is illegal to cut meat off of road kill.    Go figure.  Not illegal to cut the deer's throat, just illegal to cut off the backstraps.

hillbille

WVa passed a roadkill law few years ago, used to be you had to check them in on your hunting liscence if you wanted the meat, now you still have to call law enforcement to inform them of the hit/kill but it doesn't go against your hunting liscence/yearly limit......

Smitty500mag

allen griggs said:

But it was trying to drag itself by its front paws, it was just pathetic to watch.

You might have shot somebody's dog or cat. 

redhawkk480

Mobuck said:

Not legal to kill a vehicle injured game animal in MO. Same as poaching if you get called on it. 

same in WI

notnow

Pa has the same law as WV. Call it in and you can keep it. As long as it doesn't have a rack. If it does the game officer comes and takes the rack. I think they'll let you take it then. I hit a small deer years ago, it was down and I didn't have anything to put it out with so I went to the nearest house to ask for a hammer to do it. Square between the eyes was my plan. No noise. The guy, who I knew, said he'd just shoot it but it was already dead. It was a yearling and freshly killed so I took it home and cut it up. I kinda wanted to see if the hammer thing would've worked. 

gesshots

Horrible thing to witness ! Good Man ...

Mobuck

Give an overzealous bunny cop an inch and he'll shove a ticket a mile up your kiester. Logic/compassion has no leverage in court.

pulsarnc

I have dispatched several road injured deer over the years here in eastern NC . So far never a problem with the bunny cops. A few times Leo has been on the scene and okayed it , less paperwork for them . I too cannot see an animal suffer .