A good story (Positive LE encounter)

W.E.G. · Dec 26, 2008

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My sister's best friend from college was driving by busy suburban mall in Raleigh, NC a couple weeks ago at 2:30 in the afternoon when she hit "a herd" of deer.

One even committed suicide by jumping through a closed window, and expiring inside the car.
(new van - only had it 8 weeks)

From: (W.E.G.'s sister)
Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2008 4:07 PM
Subject: Joyce hit a heard of deer

Unbelievable photos... Joyce was not hurt ... very badly shaken as you will understand when you look at the photos.

Yesterday (Sat.) at 2:30 in the afternoon, Joyce hit a heard of deer (about 10) in the right lane of a busy suburban shopping area outside Raleigh (not out in the country). She said all of a sudden they were all just in front of her, & she couldn't avoid. She hit about 3 (which ran off) -- many ran over the hood & top of her van (brand new--less than 8 weeks old). The one in the photos dove through the driver's side backseat window, breaking it out totally & landing, dead, in the backseat floor. See photo 737-- shows the window broken out, & in the background is the awning of an Applebee's, & she was right beside a Chick Fil-A (the deer had been racing all around that just before they ran out into the street where she hit them-- people in C.F. said they thought the deer were going to crash through the shop's windows).

If she had been going just a bit slower, that deer would have come through the driver's window & onto her. I'm sure she would have had a broken neck & been crushed by the deer. She's lucky to be alive & to not have been injured. -- I'm really shaken up by this & have had a hard day dealing with what could have happened to her. It could so easily have been tragic.

Her van is a mess. It was towed off (with the dead deer still inside). Not sure what can be fixed. She'll find out more tomorrow. What a horror.

Sheriff · Dec 26, 2008

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I doesn't appear the deer in the back seat was dead when it landed inside. From the looks of thebackson the front seats, he was still alive and thrashing around quite a bit. (Joyce) was very lucky he deer didn't make it into the front seat area.

Hawkflyer · Dec 26, 2008

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Yea I had one like this once too. The woman who hit the deer was trying to "help" it when I drove up. It had both legs on one side broken and more then a couple of ribs, I suppose from hitting the windshield of the car. No amount of nursing it was gong to heal it. Anyway it was in a lot of pain, Thrashing about trying to stand, and it was not being particularly quiet about any of this, which did not help the woman's composure.

The woman was almost hysterical. I explained that I would take care of the deer as I walked her back to my truck. Itold her to stay there, got a revolver from the glove box, Walked back to the deer and dispatched it. Now I admit I used too much gun, but I used what I had with me.

She comes running up to the car and sees the now dead deer laying lifeless and screams. The next thing I know She is screaming at me at the top of her lungs horrified that I "killed a defenseless deer."

Well ... Long story short, someone had called the police, who had called the Game Warden. The Police show up first. Nice young kid, but obviously new on the job,and there is a lot of talk about shooting in a public right of way, shooting within 100 yards of an inhabited dwelling and stuff like that. The woman is screaming at the cop " I want him arrested, I want him arrested...". The deer is lying in the road in a pool of bloodin front of the woman's smashed car, people are starting to gather from nearby houses and traffic is stopping in the street. Sort of general mayhem.

Finally the Game Warden shows up. The Officer confers with him about game laws and a lot of crap about all the non game related violations that might be placed against me. The Game warden is trying to explain to the Officer that I had done the right thing, and certainly had done exactly what he would have done.

At that point the woman starts shrieking at the Game warden that it is out of season and that I had killed a deer and she wanted me arrested. At that point the game wardens says, "Everyone just hold on a minute." "Miss, HE did not kill the deer, YOU killed the deer, all he did was stop it's pain." "There is not a Judge in Virginia that would convict anyone for what he did, and in fact he did what I would have done had I been here, and I am not going to arrest him."

He and the Police Officer talked a little more, andI was free to go. But this was about 16 years ago. I don't know if you would be set free in this area if this sort of thing happened today. But I would still do the same thing under the same circumstances. Although I might take a moment to explain to the other person what had to be done.

Sheriff · Dec 26, 2008

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Hawkflyer wrote:

I don't know if you would be set free in this area if this sort of thing happened today. But I would still do the same thing under the same circumstances.

When things start going south, get on the cell phone and request a game warden respond.

hsmith · Dec 26, 2008

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Hawkflyer wrote:

Yea I had one like this once too. The woman who hit the deer was trying to "help" it when I drove up. It had both legs on one side broken and more then a couple of ribs, I suppose from hitting the windshield of the car. No amount of nursing it was gong to heal it. Anyway it was in a lot of pain, Thrashing about trying to stand, and it was not being particularly quiet about any of this, which did not help the woman's composure.

The woman was almost hysterical. I explained that I would take care of the deer as I walked her back to my truck. Itold her to stay there, got a revolver from the glove box, Walked back to the deer and dispatched it. Now I admit I used too much gun, but I used what I had with me.

She comes running up to the car and sees the now dead deer laying lifeless and screams. The next thing I know She is screaming at me at the top of her lungs horrified that I "killed a defenseless deer."

Well ... Long story short, someone had called the police, who had called the Game Warden. The Police show up first. Nice young kid, but obviously new on the job,and there is a lot of talk about shooting in a public right of way, shooting within 100 yards of an inhabited dwelling and stuff like that. The woman is screaming at the cop " I want him arrested, I want him arrested...". The deer is lying in the road in a pool of bloodin front of the woman's smashed car, people are starting to gather from nearby houses and traffic is stopping in the street. Sort of general mayhem.

Finally the Game Warden shows up. The Officer confers with him about game laws and a lot of crap about all the non game related violations that might be placed against me. The Game warden is trying to explain to the Officer that I had done the right thing, and certainly had done exactly what he would have done.

At that point the woman starts shrieking at the Game warden that it is out of season and that I had killed a deer and she wanted me arrested. At that point the game wardens says, "Everyone just hold on a minute." "Miss, HE did not kill the deer, YOU killed the deer, all he did was stop it's pain." "There is not a Judge in Virginia that would convict anyone for what he did, and in fact he did what I would have done had I been here, and I am not going to arrest him."

He and the Police Officer talked a little more, andI was free to go. But this was about 16 years ago. I don't know if you would be set free in this area if this sort of thing happened today. But I would still do the same thing under the same circumstances. Although I might take a moment to explain to the other person what had to be done.

It just amazes me how out of touch with reality people are.

What did the woman think, there was a hospital that would help the deer and return it back to the wild?

People are so out of touch.

Sheriff · Dec 26, 2008

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hsmith wrote:

What did the woman think, there was a hospital that would help the deer and return it back to the wild?

Yes.

DocV · Dec 26, 2008

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Sheriff wrote:

hsmith wrote:

What did the woman think, there was a hospital that would help the deer and return it back to the wild?

Click to expand...

Yes.

Yup! Just watch Animal Planet!

Hawkflyer · Dec 26, 2008

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DocV wrote:

Sheriff wrote:

hsmith wrote:

What did the woman think, there was a hospital that would help the deer and return it back to the wild?

Click to expand...

Yes.

Click to expand...

Yup! Just watch Animal Planet!

Actually she told the police that had I not killed it,she could have taken it home so she and her children could nurse it back to health.

That is when I left, whilethe Game Warden explained the law and the truth to her so I have no idea how that part ended.

While I admire the Lady's desire to help an injured animal, she did need a reality check.

Regards

Armed · Dec 26, 2008

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Hawkflyer wrote:

.....there is a lot of talk about shooting in a public right of way, shooting within 100 yards of an inhabited dwelling and stuff like that. The woman is screaming at the cop " I want him arrested, I want him arrested...".

Exactly why I will never dispatch an injured animal like that if there are witnesses. It may be the "right and compassionate" thing to do- but I'm not interested in going to court over an animal.

sudden valley gunner · Dec 27, 2008

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I am from washington and we hit a deer several yrs ago outside a campground on the lake here full of Canadians. When my brother said he was going to shoot the deer to put it out of its miseries the Canadians freaked out. We shot the deer with rifle from the trunk pulled it out of the way and tried to leave, a few of the Canadians tried to stop us but we were the ones with the guns so their effort was pretty feeble. We called the sherrif's office to let him know what we did when we got home and to clarify if we had broken any laws since it was in a no shooting zone in the county. The deputy said they usually make exceptions in cases like that . He said the deputies would have done the same thing, but was glad we did it because they have to fill out paperwork everytime they discharge their weapons, so was happy we saved him the headache.

DonTreadOnMe · Dec 28, 2008

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I am starting to feel very contry reading this thread. A few stories to relate to the group.

I was comparing deer hit stories with family and friends one night.

Wife: I killed a deer with a claw hammer wile eight months along, loaded it in my truck and took hit home after hitting one.

Best Friend: Never had to kill one that was hit, but my father was a taxi cab driver and used a crow bar on one that was hurt on road tossed it in the truck and dropped it off to the house for me to butcher. Had a fair in the cab the whole time.

Unidentify:Finished off a deer I hit withcar with shovel then tossed on the steps of the localDNR station. ....was late friday, nooneisthere on the weekend. Only good thing for them is it was not real hot out. Bad bad bad....

All of us could have used a gun to make the deaths more humane and safter for us.

Hawkflyer · Dec 28, 2008

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DonTreadOnMe wrote:

...SNIP

All of us could have used a gun to make the deaths more humane and safter for us.

You raise a question that others have posed to me over time. Why not use an alternate method of dispatching the deer, that is more acceptable to people. I think most of us would agree that acceptability to others is irrelevant.

You have it right. There is also convenience and speed. In my truck the tire iron is buried behind a panel in the rear of the truck, and bolted down under the Jack. I do have a shovel but it is very short lite and small.

In short the firearm is either on my hip (very handy) or handy inside the truck. Any you are correct. If applied correctly it is by far the fastest and most humane method.

Regards

2a4all · Dec 28, 2008

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Hawkflyer wrote:

DonTreadOnMe wrote:

...SNIP

Click to expand...

All of us could have used a gun to make the deaths more humane and safter for us.

Click to expand...

You raise a question that others have posed to me over time. Why not use an alternate method of dispatching the deer, that is more acceptable to people. I think most of us would agree that acceptability to others is irrelevant.

You have it right. There is also convenience and speed. In my truck the tire iron is buried behind a panel in the rear of the truck, and bolted down under the Jack. I do have a shovel but it is very short lite and small.

In short the firearm is either on my hip (very handy) or handy inside the truck. Any you are correct. If applied correctly it is by far the fastest and most humane method.

Regards

For those of us who aren't hunters, could you elaborate on "applied correctly"?

Hawkflyer · Dec 28, 2008

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2a4all wrote:

...SNIP
For those of us who aren't hunters, could you elaborate on "applied correctly"?

Well it is mostly about shot placement. A brain shot is fastest and shuts down the nervous system (where signals from the nerves are processed). This is not as easy to hit as you might think with the animal thrashing around, so a lot of people will shoot for the heart or lungs. It is actually quite dangerous to get close to an injured deer, especially a Buck with a rack. Hits on those organs will kill the animal, but not instantly.

Unfortunately a head shot at close range with a reasonably powerful cartridge is a VERY messy affair. But it will also stop the action in less than one or two seconds. Almost any other shot placement will make things worse before they get better.

Regards

ProShooter · Dec 28, 2008

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2a4all wrote:

For those of us who aren't hunters, could you elaborate on "applied correctly"?

Two to the dome!

Bullbuster · Dec 28, 2008

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Hawkflyer wrote:

2a4all wrote:

...SNIP
For those of us who aren't hunters, could you elaborate on "applied correctly"?

Click to expand...

Well it is mostly about shot placement. A brain shot is fastest and shuts down the nervous system (where signals from the nerves are processed). This is not as easy to hit as you might think with the animal thrashing around, so a lot of people will shoot for the heart or lungs. It is actually quite dangerous to get close to an injured deer, especially a Buck with a rack. Hits on those organs will kill the animal, but not instantly.

Unfortunately a head shot at close range with a reasonably powerful cartridge is a VERY messy affair. But it will also stop the action in less than one or two seconds. Almost any other shot placement will make things worse before they get better.

Regards

If I may I'd like to add .02 on to what Hawkflyer just said.

As an avid hunter myself the head shot as HF said, is not an easy task if the animal is thrashing about. Your best bet is to place a shot just behind the front leg (armpit area)into the heart and lung (boiler room) area. Its the safest and quickest way to put down a wounded animal without getting into the danger zone. But depending on the weapon and the type of bullets used if you did try the head shot you could either take it off or have the bullet skip right off the skull.

While I have never hit a deer (just 2 turkeys) with a vehicle or had to put a roadside wounded animal down I have had to finish off several from another shooters bad shot. Its always best play it safe.

Carpetbagger · Dec 29, 2008

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Many years ago I responded on the rescue squad to an MVA in Albermarle County, in which a car had hita cow that had wandered into the road. The driver was not injured, but the cow was badly injured and trapped under the guardrail. It took about 15-20 minutes for the county police officer to get permission to shoot the cow. IIRC, it took two shots to kill the cow.

KBCraig · Dec 30, 2008

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While driving I-30 in SW Arkansas yesterday about dusk, I saw at least 30-40 deer in a 10 mile stretch, grazing along the shoulders of the highway. Some were right up to the edge of the pavement, nibbling away. I didn't see any get hit, but I typically see 1 or 2 bloated deer between the state line and mile marker 99. (Contrast that with Pennsylvania, where I counted more than two per mile on average on a 40 mile stretch.)

I don't think you can legally keep roadkill deer in Arkansas; I know you can't in Texas. The only deer I ever hit was in SW Arkansas, but I was driving a Pepsi truck en route to my first stop of the day. It was a warm day, and I didn't see the deer being edible after 12+ hours in an empty bay of my truck.

I had a heckuva time even notifying Game & Fish about it, and they didn't seem to care when I finally reached them. I didn't know if notification was required, but I didn't want to take a chance. Plus, I needed to verify that I'd made contact, when I explained the cracked fender, blood, brain, and hair to my supervisor.

It's a shame to let good meat rot at the side of the road, but that seems to be the law in most states.

Hawkflyer · Dec 31, 2008

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KBCraig wrote:

...SNIP

It's a shame to let good meat rot at the side of the road, but that seems to be the law in most states.

Each state is different. In Missouri the Conservation Agents collect the deer and distribute any edible meat to the state schools and other place where meat is needed.

Regards

sudden valley gunner · Dec 31, 2008

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In washington they bring it to missions to feed homeless...

A good story (Positive LE encounter)

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