What would you do in this situation?

Question

Ok lets say your driving down a country road when a deer leaps infront of your car, when you hit the deer it does not die but is in alot of pain and is limping off into the woods. You have a firearm in the trunk with some ammo. Would you shoot the deer to put it out of its misery or would you wait for 20 minutes till the cops came and did it. Would the police have a problem with shooting it to put it out of pain or would they fine you. This hasent happend but there have been some close calls for me and i always have wondered what to do if this did happen. Personaly i would shoot it becuse it has the potential of gettign away and suffering from broken bones and starvation.

Answer 1

Listen, legally you should wait for the authorities. Morally, finish him off.

I have put down several on the side of the road. I just get out, do it, and get the heII out of there. Were I live it would take the authorities hours to respond so I dont even bother.

Obviously I wouldn't do this in the city, but out in the sticks it acceptable

Answer 2

You are not in a good place either way. If you don't shoot it, then you have to live with the fact that you left it in pain. If you shoot it, the police may very well fine you, and you might even be arrested for discharging a gun on or within a certain distance of a highway. If you finish it off any other way, you may be fined or worse as well.

By the way, I accidentally hit a deer with my car once, DURING deer season, and I had the proper license and tags for where I was. I called Fish and Game and asked them if I could/should put my tag on the deer I had hit and take it with me, so that it wouldn't go to waste. They said that would be illegal. When I asked them why I could take home a deer that I had shot and not one I had hit with my car, they told me the car was an "illegal method of take." I was told to leave it where it was, and they would call someone to get it out of the road. Go figure.

Answer 3

I live in a state that has a lot of deer vs auto problems. I find them severly injured along the roadside all the time. I carry a CCW pistol all the time anyway, so I give them a mercy round to the brain to end their suffering. But, If it is just limping a little or looks like it may survive, I just chase them away from the roadway. After putting one down, I make a call to a guy who picks them up for the zoo to use for animal feed. One thing most people overlook is that a deer hit by a car usually has major internal organ damage, this usually results in a ruptured stomach etc which contaminates the meat and renders it unsafe for human consumption.

Answer 4

In Wi. it's not legal to "put down" an animal that has been hit by a car but is still alive. Shots after dark draw a lot of attention and shooting after dark is a huge fine offense. The particulars of the situation would have to dictate what you personally do. I have used a knife to finish off a deer that I hit that didn't die immediately. Being caught doing this could incur fines and other penalties....it's a personal choice you have to make when the situation comes up.

Answer 5

As Far as TEXAS goes; I hit one. It died on the side of the road, after about 20 minutes. The cops were already at the scene. Nobody shoots it. It's illegal. The Game warden gets called by the cops and he comes to get the deer. If you want the deer he will give it to you, after he cuts off the horns. It was a big 8 pointer. I wanted the horns too; but game warden said , no. Deer without horns only. I said keep it.
I wasn't happy $ 3,000 damage to my truck.

Answer 6

obvioulsy lou is not a deer hunter cause no one says they would use a knife...lou u ever walk up on a downed deer?...didn't think so....you cant get close enought to use a real life if the deer has 10 percent life left in it....call the cops they put it down....you can be charged for shooting near a road and if its dark you don't know if there is a house behind your target...

Answer 7

I'd use a knife if possible, but you really need to find out what the local laws are. Her in PA, any PA resident can claim a road-kill deer but you must contact the game commission immediately. If it's wounded and causing a danger to the public, call them and they may give permission to shoot it. I keep the game commission phone number in my phone. I wouldn't think of shooting it and taking off. That would be the one time that somebody sees you shoot it but not hit with a car then calls the cops with your license plate number. Plus, it's usually illegal in any state to shoot within a certain distance of a road, so you must worry about that as well.

Answer 8

In most states it would be illegal for you to shoot it unless it was hunting season. The local DNR or police is suppose to put it down if it isn't dead when they arrive on the scene. On the other hand most people would probably agree that if you can stop the suffering just do it. It's one of those things "Damd if you do, Damd if you don't".

Answer 9

I personally had this experience about a year ago. My step-dad and I were going down the road and hit a doe in the back. She was just there kind of trying to crawl away. My step-dad got out, took out his .40, one shot and we dragged it off the road. We called the cops and waited unitl they showed up. He told us we are not supposed to do that but he is glad we did. He said this happens more often than you think and the police (in my rural area anyways) just usually turn their head. But then again, here we don't have to worry about people complaining about nothing.

Answer 10

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