Mercy shots.

[kc]

I know this is a touchy question and it has no involvment of an ethical hunter but
it makes us mad as hell when we are in this position.
Have you ever had to shoot to kill a Deer or any Game Animal for the reason
that it was suffering, because some person or a driver hit the Animal with there car
has caused the damage that is so bad you know the animal will die and it will be a long drawn out wound.
My friends have been in this position every year with a Deer that has a leg broken, or a
shooter tries to make that long shot that has no excuse in making and you can see the Gangareen or see the Bone sticking out from a wound.
I don't care it ****es me off to a point it makes me sick.
finding a Deer dead with a Gut shot or a Jaw hanging because some fool who makes us,every hunter look like a slob hunter. I know of no Hunter that would EVER try to make a shot
knowing its a flip of a coin, a lung shot or a gut shot.
Not at this Forum and never at our camp.

SOUND OFF!

 

[rscott5028]

Well, we don't discuss ethics on this site.

But if we did, I think you would find few here that would disagree with your premise.

-- richard

 

[njbowhntr]

I have taken a few mercy deer in my days. It is what makes us be one with the creature that we pursue. Just like we do not want to see our fellow man/woman suffer, we do not want to see the animals we pursue suffer.

What ticks me off about it is the hunting shows that let cripples walk to shoot the big one for the camera. I have seen several hunting shows where they let an injuried deer walk because his rack was not big enough. I think that sets a bad image of our sport.

 

[paphil]

Illegal in Pa. unless it's in season and you use your tag on it. I shot a lot of highway injured deer untill a friend got fined. New this year, it's a felony to illegally "poach" a big game animal, even if it is injured!

 

[RDM416]

paphil, Unfortunately you are correct in probably most states on finishing off a deer that has been hit by a car. Most police or game wardens would probably not mess with you, but it could be considered poaching, there is also the issue of discharging a firearm within "X" feet of the roadway and maybe other technicalities that you could be charged with.

Many years ago I shot a few injured deer on the side of the road, but I have not shot any in a long time simply because I did not want to take the chance. I hate to see one suffer just as much as anyone....... but a felony conviction for finishing off an injured animal?? Not gonna take that chance.

 

[MEV]

I have had to many times, mostly from traffic collisions. I can recall a few from gun shot wounds, however it is rare.

It is hard to condem all for wounding a critter. Since some are doing their best at the time with their level of knowledge and it did not work out proper. That's called experience. All us semi-smart humans learn and improve from experience, regardless of weather it was good or bad.

Now if it was a poacher, well there is no excuse I will accept.

MEV

 

[WildRose]

I know this is a touchy question and it has no involvment of an ethical hunter but
it makes us mad as hell when we are in this position.
Have you ever had to shoot to kill a Deer or any Game Animal for the reason
that it was suffering, because some person or a driver hit the Animal with there car
has caused the damage that is so bad you know the animal will die and it will be a long drawn out wound.
My friends have been in this position every year with a Deer that has a leg broken, or a
shooter tries to make that long shot that has no excuse in making and you can see the Gangareen or see the Bone sticking out from a wound.
I don't care it ****es me off to a point it makes me sick.
finding a Deer dead with a Gut shot or a Jaw hanging because some fool who makes us,every hunter look like a slob hunter. I know of no Hunter that would EVER try to make a shot
knowing its a flip of a coin, a lung shot or a gut shot.
Not at this Forum and never at our camp.

SOUND OFF!

The first time I had to do this I was 13 and we were on an NM Pronghorn hunt.

From about a mile away we watched and listened as another father allowed his kid to fire basically randomly with a .243 Remington Semi Auto into a herd of antelope.

He blew the front leg almost completely off of a little yearling buck, gut shot it's mother, and killed a buck.

They only had one buck tag, so they claimed the nice buck and left the pasture quickly.

We could see one of them limping badly so we drove down there and saw the carnage that remained.

I threw up when I saw how badly the little yearling was hurt and suffering and my dad had me shoot him and put him down.

When I did that the doe jumped up about 200yds away trying to get away.

He had me dispatch it as well.

We left everything including my gun and empties lay, went and got a game warden and explained the whole thing to him.

We then dressed the doe and yearling and it was donated to a nearby orphanage, and the father/son team were arrested and their nice buck was donated as well.

That made a very deep, indelible impression on me which will never be forgotten.

I've also had to put down several injured animals that were struck by cars. I always contact the local game warden for instruction on what to do.

I simply cannot stand to see a wounded game animal suffer.

 

[LRSickle]

I've had to dispatch a wounded deer that had been hit by a car above Alpine Junction, Wyoming. The poor thing had both it's back legs broke and was walking on it's leg joints. Just as I dispatched her with my 300 Weatherby a Fishcop pulled up. He told me he could write me a ticket for it but i did the ethical thing and he knew it. I wonder how many people drove by that had a gun and didn't stop for fear of getting in trouble.

 

[WyoElk2Hunt]

In Wyoming you are suspose to call Game and Fish to dispatch the wonded animal. Highway Patrol can dispatch a beef animal if hit. Just the way the law reads.

 

[liltank]

My dad had to dispatch a car hit dear in front of the local state penitentiary one year. Guy hit the dear and kept going after he saw my dad pull over. My dad had his .357 w/ him, but would have been arrested should he have shot it on penitentiary grounds. So he opted for a tire iron. Ironically it was the last day of doe season and he didn't get a shot off all day. So he tagged it, brought it home, and it tasted good! That was about 15yrs ago. I've seen some wounded deer, but were surviving their wounds so I let them go. I'm not in the habit of breaking the law.

Tank

 

[crazyshots]

i have both shot a wounded deer that i knew wouldnt last much longer or be as good the following year as he was that year, but i have also passed up a few that were hurt and i saw them later on in the season doing good, and i have came to realize myself that just cause a deer is limping or moving slow does not mean that it has a life threatening injury and deer and have amazing way of healing and coping with injuries, so please think twice before shooting what you think is a wounded deer unless its obviously not gonna make it.

 

[ReachnOut]

I think a lot depends upon the state you're in. In my home state of Texas, where I still do about 75% of my hunting, I discussed this issue with a friend and game warden. His advise was to use the cell phone and call Natural Resources reporting a critically injured game animal giving your location, name and license tag number. In doing that, I've had responses ranging from their sending out a warden if one was close or granting approval to put it down if it could be accomplished off the roadway in a safe manner. Never had a problem that way.

 

[Forester]

This is one of those things where the ethical thing and the legal thing don't always match. I figure that I will sleep better knowing I did the ethical thing and got a ticket than the legal thing at the expense of what is right.

"Sometimes doing the right thing aint doing the right thing"

 

[Terry Scott]

If you come across a wounded animal hit by a car, and you have a firearm, call Game and fish dispatch, explain the situation, and request a game warden to respond, also tell them that you are willing if need be to dispatch the animal. In Nevada you will likely get permission to put the poor thing out of it's misery or a helpful warden will come.
No one wants to see animals suffer.