What would you do?

[johnny]

Late one night you're driving down an old country road in your Ford half-ton pickup... suddenly a deer which is just losing its spots jumps out in front of your car and

<b>WHAM!</b>

You didn't have time to slow down or swerve and the deer was hit hard. You park your car and get out. The deer is laying on the ground, unable to move anything from its front legs up... its neck has been broken and it is greatly suffering.

You have a rifle in the back of your truck:

Do you put the deer out of its misery?

OR

Do you call the humane society, a vet, etc?


Nick

[Icarus]

Put the deer out of its misery - I'm no PETA whacko, but letting something suffer like that is pointless (and cruel). As a follow up you could probably find somebody to clean it and you'd have deer steak, roast, jerky etc, for several months. The animal is probably already dead (or close to it), so you end its suffering and get free meat for weeks.

Accidents happen and there is no use "wasting" its death by having the animal "disposed" of some other way.

Unless of course you're a vegetarian....

[DukeDog]

I agree with Icarus. Even if you dont want the meat I'm sure there are families that you know that would. Also if the deer had a broken neck the vet couldnt do anything except put it down also.
Jeff

[hesaias]

Build a fire and break out the butter!

[Autumn]

Depending on where you are, it might be advisable to let the local forest service people or the sherrif's office know about it too... Local rules and procedures vary quite a bit.

I definitely wouldn't want the deer to suffer though, and it's definitely a shame to let the meat go to waste if the deer is done-for already.

[Icarus]

Nick/Johnny - What did you do??

[Q-ball]

I'd put it down. Even if you don't want the meat, maybe give it to a shelter or something? I plan on trying deer hunting for my first time this year. If I get one, I plan on donating half the meat to a shelter or mission of some sort around here. I need to call them first to make sure they'll want it I guess:) Someone mentioned calling the authorities above...in PA, you're required to call the game commission and they will want the animal's pelt & antlers (if it's a male). They do this to deter people from hitting the deer on purpose to get a trophy (don't laugh, I know a guy who used to hunt with a 76 Bronco:eek:) No reason the deer should suffer, and no reason to let the meat go to waste. Either feed your family with it, or someone who needs it. JMO of course...

Q!!!

ps - uhm, how come yer carrying that there rifle in yer truck?;)

[Vilas]

Well, I'm an utter liberal and swing to the side of animal rights, but PLEASE. It's suffering. The rifle will be quicker and kinder than the vet's purple juice (they use the same stuff for horses, no?) and the meat can go to use, instead of rotting.

I figure it this way. If you're going to eat meat, the most - honorable - way to do it is to go look it in the eye and kill it yourself. Don't get me wrong, I'll go in for a Mc. Greaseball, but in my mind on the heirarchy of right and wrong, going out and hunting your own meat beats picking up a shrink wrapped package from the market. This animal was doomed to die when you hit it, (dumb little things, aren't they?) so giving it a quick death and using the meat sure as hell beats either waiting an hour for the vet to show up and letting it rot, or leaving the thing to just die. Heck, if you don't have a gun, use the pickup truck.

An hour for the vet/humane society if you're lucky. I've had to hold a horse down for two hours in a similar situation to wait for the vet to come. I still have nightmares.

[Sea Dragon]

I don't own a Ford half-ton pickup, a rifle, or drive down old county roads at night. ;)

Seems like a loaded question. Most folks I know that fit that profile are hunters, so shooting a deer isn't like a big moral dillema for them. But to answer to the general gist of the question, I don't have a problem putting a mortally wounded animal out of it's misery.

A more difficult question would be: You hit an animal and it's seriously injured but appears as if it might be able to recover, would you go to the trouble of trying to help it?

[Nagel]

Ok,

I had EXACTLY that situation (well, minus the gun in the back and 1/2 ton pickup, it was a 1980 chevy monza instead)

Well, what did I do. I knew the neck was not broken, but I had smashed both front legs of the deer. The poor thing tryed to run, but there was no way it could. Well, my buddy made a 1 mile jog to the nearest home to call the local police. The cops were there even before he got back. The one cop complained about the 4-5 pages of paperwork he had to do because I was "making" him use a single bullet. Well, thats his job, and I wasn't about to let the deer suffer. Even in a rehab situation it is highly unlikely this deer would have survived. I was given a permit to have the deer butchered at a butcher shop (it was out of season, the township will issue permits in these circumstances), but when I went to field dress the deer (I had a buddy who hunted and knew how) we noticed that the impact with the car had ruptured the urine sack, and that fouled most of the meat. No choice but to waste it, had it not been foul at least it would have been eaten.

I would have loved for the fawn to be able to recover, but sometimes it is not in the best interest of the animal. Especially when you're dealing with internal injuries, possible broken bones and even a potentially broken spine. Be humane. Put it out of its misery.

my .02

[Playfair]

A deer got hit in front of someones house I know in a residential area. It didn't die, but was immobilized and in agony. The animal control people were called, who said they would be right out. This was early evening. When they went to bed an hour later, the deer was still on the side of the street.

The next morning, he opened the front door and there was the deer, on his front step, a blood trail leading from the street. It was now dead.

Discharge of firearms was illegal in this area, but he thinks now that it would have better to been fined or jailed than to allow that animal to suffer like it did.

[Agu]

Lets see, shoot the deer. Hunting without a license and shooting a deer out of season. Oh and if the deer is in the roadway that's another crime, you can't shoot a deer within x? feet of a public roadway. Arrested, fined, and the rifle and vehicle are confiscated. Then you'll have to hire an attorney to help get your possessions back. When you file the insurance claim the adjuster will point out the vehicle was used in act of committing a crime, not only won't your vehicle get fixed but your insurance rates will go up. Then it's off to court where your attorney calls the local butcher as an expert witness to testify the deer was mortally wounded. PETA however, brings their own expert who testifies that with surgery and extensive physical therapy poor little Bambi could have become a contributing member of deer society. Your wife and children are devasted by this testimony and promptly throw you out of the house. Deciding that jail time is preferable to living in a cardboard box you plead guilty and get 60 days in the county jail. Just when you're thinking things can't get any worse you find out your roommate for the next 60 days will be the infamous........... well I've rambled enough and you get the drift. ;)

Or,Call the proper authorities and you're taking no risk. But you have to wait until they show up to show them where the animal is and to file the accident report. While you're waiting you have to watch the animal suffer.

I don't care for either choice, but if I had to make one, it would be for euthanasia.

Agu


I'll apologize in advance to anybody who thinks I'm making fun of the pain and suffering of animals. The state of our society and Playfairs post inspired this rambling, "...it would have been better to be fined or jailed than to allow the animal to suffer like it did."

[Wolverine]

A guy I went to high school with had it even tougher. He hit a deer in his Ford Explorer. It was clearly suffering, but all he had with him was a hunting knife that he used for camping.

So he used the knife. I think that would be a lot harder than shooting it.

Dave

[Nagel]

Originally posted by Wolverine
It was clearly suffering, but all he had with him was a hunting knife that he used for camping.

So he used the knife. I think that would be a lot harder than shooting it.

Dave

Not so sure bout that :) I didn't even have a knife. I had to wait with the fawn, holding it down (it would try to get up with its back legs and run with its chest and head digging into the ground) until the cop finally got there (about 30 mins after I hit it). Had I had a knife on me, I would probably used it and felt even worse. And I had to listen to it cry the whole time. Not a fun night.....

[Doug1]

Put the animal out of its misery, and call local wolf santuary. been there done that. Impact with an auto usually ruins the meat IMO

[Laura D]

Shoot it in the head with the rifle.

Yes, I AM one of those people that would be considered an "animal rights" nut, and this is what I would do.

It sound like the deer is a goner, waiting for the vet or humane soc. to come out and put it down would prolong it's suffering. In the event that it could be saved and rehabilitated it would porbably never be able to be released if it was that young when this happened. The best thing to do would be to end it quickly, that shows the most respect IMO.

I don't own a gun so or drive down country roads at night, but if I was in your shoes, I would have shot it. Who cares if it is illigal, you are out in the middle of nowhere right?