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donec · Senior Member

I was driving back from where I go to shoot the other day and almost hit a a small 6 point deer. The thought came to me that if I had hit the deer and crushed it's hip and rear legs it would be in a lot of pain and unable to take care of it's self. The location has no cell phone coverage so I couldn't call the authorities and almost no people. I had with me my CFX Royal .177 pellet rifle rated at 1200 fps and some other smaller airguns, but I only had Crosman .177 7.4 Grain, Wadcutters and Gamo Raptor PBA .177 5.4 Grain pellets. Which pellet would be better to try and put the deer out of it's misery and how would you hunters go about it? The deer is thrashing about quite a lot so I can't get very close say about 20 to 30 meters as if I try and get closer it tries to attack. I can't use the car to get closer because it is off the road.

fritz · Silver Status Member

Umm... you're in Texas, where is your .45?

Lipoly · Veteran Member

I'm assuming it would still be illegal, so I would just let nature take its course...would be a bad situation to be in, but I'd think it would take at least several well placed shots to put it down.

broommaster2000 · Moderator

AirGunEric · Site Admin

From a legal standpoint, laws are usually pretty similar in most places- hitting something with your car is one thing, but to actually shoot the animal (even though it is already dying) could be construed as a "crime" unless it could be classified as a nuisance animal or a person of the proper authority is doing the shooting.

So- from a purely legal standpoint- let the animal die on its own. From an ethical point of view is perhaps another, completely different issue.

Deer kills also typically need to be reported when they are killed accidentally to the appropriate wildlife control agency, and often this requires a police report to reference so no one thinks you're a part-time poacher.

sniper · Silver Status Member

hmm. if i lived in texas my winchester .30-30 ranger and
a 1911 .45 acp would live in my truck. that being said.
if i hit a deer i would feel horrible. personally i would
put it out of it's pain and hope the law saw it my way.

but where i live this would never be something that could happen.

a .177 airgun would only wound it further.

Jaxom · Senior Member

This is one of those situations I think varies from state to state. In Illinois for example, if you it a deer, and kill it, the carcass is yours. You do however have to call the dnr and report it.

I remember being with my grandfather, whom was an avid hunter seeing an injured deer on the side of the road once. While he didn't hit it, he pulled over went to the trunk of the car, got a tire iron and put the suffering animal out it's misery. He then loaded it the trunk and drove to the closest gas station and called the police, the came did a report and left. We went home and had venison for dinner.

You hypothetical situation is different, you can't get close to the animal. I don't know what type of vehicle you drive, but every vehicle I've ever owned I usually have a ratty old blank for emergencies stuff in a trunk or tote. Never know when ya might need it for warmth, and it's better then laying right on the ground if ya need to do repairs. Having said this, you could possibly get close enough to cover the deer's head so it couldn't see you coming and then, like my grandfather dispatch it with a swift hit to the skull.

Using an under powered gun in my estimation would only cause the animal more suffering in my oppinion.

AirGunEric · Site Admin

donec · Senior Member

I'm not really concerned about the legal aspects of the scenario just the idea of putting the animal out of it's misery with what was on hand. Next question is what weight pellet could do the job. Keep in mind the I have not done any power testing on the CFX but it is jokingly (as they all are) rated at 1200 fps.

sniper · Silver Status Member

donec, keep a burner in your car. if it costed me a $200 fine and
a court date i would sleep with a clear mind.

the law ain't right all the time. Neutral

leaving an animal to die slowly because of an accident is a moral
not legal issue. JMO. (knife-over-pellet) Rolling Eyes

ya' got a big knife? a KABAR?? i hike with one.

deer don't like .30-30...

and... i've never shot one and never will. Neutral

pellet: a 32 grain EUN JIN@1000FPS. in the eayball x4-10.

Mark5043 · Silver Status Member

About 20 years ago I saw a guy hit a huge buck about 5 miles from my Mom's place.I pulled over to see if the occupant was okay.He was okay but quite shaken up.The buck was very much alive,but had a pretty damaged back end.Legs broken etc.We were trying to figure out what to do.It sounds bad,but I considered taking out a tire iron,and well....Just then a CHP rolled up.he called animal control,they came out,and shot it with a .22 pistol.

I knew they were going to just incinerate it or something,and I asked them if I could have it...I love venison.No dice there,you know bio hazard issues and such.Also I would have to contend with possible contaminated meat due to a ruptured bladder or bowel.The way I see it though it could have been used for something,however they didn't see it that way.I do agree though with what Eric said.If you produce a firearm,or anything that shoots a projectile to kill a wounded animal,at the very least you would have the gun confiscated,and get issued a costly citation.Best to leave that up to LE.

gargoyle3 · Member

I would find a tire iron & beat its brains out or decapitate it with a big knife.
Then I would gut it out & remove the damaged areas.
I would go home & butcher it & enjoy God's bounty of fresh venison.
Screw anybody else's opinion or laws. It's your moral obligation to utilize the animal & not waste the life you took.

Backstraps & fried onions with a dash of A-1 sauce is truly heaven.. Peace. Razz

donec · Senior Member

Ok guys it is a hypothetical situation. We have a S&W .357 that we legally carry sometimes that belongs to my wife. But that is not part of the hypothetical situation.

gargoyle3 · Member

http://www.channel4.com/food/images/mb/Channel4/4Food/ontv/willies_wonky_chocolate_factory/gallery/episode_3/venison_gallery--gt_full_width_landscape.jpg

Sometimes life hands you lemons..so you gotta make Lemonade!

If life also hands you deer meat..make jerky! Cool

Jaxom · Senior Member

Eric,

Laws change. There was a time when "fresh" road kill was taken to local prison or donated to local homeless shelters. But then the animal rights groups put an end to that....

There's something else to concider here. And that's how "fair" laws are NOT applied equally. Should any of us be put into this hypothetical situation and we took it upon ourselves to dispatch the injured animal using either an ag or powed burner, whether you go to jail often is determined not by the letter of the law, but more often then not the personallity of the first officer that arrives on scene.

Get the right one, and you're on your way in a few minutes, get the wrong one, and you're spending the night in jail and face probably a few years of legal hell.

Again IMHO giving the situtation described, I would keep on driving. Morally I would feel bad for the animal suffering, but to attept dispatch it with an obviously under powered gun would only cause it more pain and stress. It would be my hopes that someone elese with better means to dispatch the animal would come by soon or possibly a preditor hearing it. At the very least I would hope that animal would succumb to it's injuries quickly.