Deer

[Mc1100Aero]

Hello all, I am new to this sight and hopefully do everything correct. Wondering if any one knows that if you hit a deer and it is injured, do you have to wait for police or can you shoot it yourself to put it out of it's missery. Still wait for police.

[eagleeyes]

i don't know but i'd probably shoot it to put it out of it's misery then call my son to take it home and clean it so we can eat it
he goes deer hunting sometimes in wva and great eatin'
i guess it depends what state you are in but i would call the cops see what they suggest you do and if they allow you to put it out of it's misery then do so
best wishes and welcome to the forum

[Kalamity023]

Most jurisdictions won't let you shoot it.. If you do you can be charged with a whole host of hunting violations, as well as firearms violations. Not to mention why waste your ammo when the you're already paying for the PD's.

You need to check with your local game wardens as well as your local firearms laws. And make sure you hit the Deer in season.

[FN1910]

If you hit a deer call 911 immediately. Do not shoot it unless you know it is legal in your area which are few and far between. If the deer is dead do not put it in the back of your truck and drive off. In some states and SC is one of them even the police have to notify the game wardens before they can put one out of its misery. Call 911, report it and follow their instructions. Be sure you understand their instructions and they are clear about what to do. Even if it is suffering you can wind up suffering if you try to be merciful as the courts will probably not be merciful on you.

[eagleeyes]

humane thing to do would be put the animal out of its misery and no law should stop that imo brings dr kavorkian to mind who was arrested for helping others out of their misery in humane way
we need to have the right to make our own decisions without having to check in with big brother for every move we make. esp something like that.......farmers would shoot their old horses and animals when the time was right either old age or food other animals are known to put other animals to death in humane way too. not just to kill like we do now for sport.. only when the authorities can say you can though

[Joseph Senter]

I think my answer will be correct for any state. Call Law enforcement, I suggest the HP in your state and explain the situation to the person over the phone. If they give you permission to shoot it, I think you are OK, because the conversation should be recorded. Even if they try to take you to court I think you could beat it, so they probable wouldn't waste their time or yours. It would be the humane thing to do so I would hope they would tell you to put it out of it misery. God Bless

[imrambi]

Like others have stated the quick answer is no. Other wise you were "hunting" and stagged the hit. The police normally can put it down, but you can not unless they give you permission.

[Shoobee]

I was driving home from a hunting trip early in the season one year, and up ahead in the traffic jam was a crippled buck and a half wrecked VW microbus.

I pulled over to see if anyone was hurt, besides the buck. The two motorists were fine, just shaken by the collision with the animal.

The buck was paralyzed from the middle of the back down, just sitting in the roadyway on his haunches. It was a 2x2 but a rather big one.

After all the jammed traffic was gone, and it was just the 3 of us and the crippled buck, I got my Remington 700 in 338 rem ultra mag out of the jeep, loaded it with one round, and shot the buck point blank in the heart. After which it lay in peaceful repose. The husband and I then dragged it out of the roadway and into the ditch.

Then I put the rifle back in the jeep and sped away.

Don't know what the laws of Monterey County Calif were then. I didn't hang around to find out.

[Shoobee]

i don't know but i'd probably shoot it to put it out of it's misery then call my son to take it home and clean it so we can eat it
he goes deer hunting sometimes in wva and great eatin'
i guess it depends what state you are in but i would call the cops see what they suggest you do and if they allow you to put it out of it's misery then do so
best wishes and welcome to the forum

Once they have been hit by a vehicle like that they are road kill and would taste rather nasty, bruised and gutshot from anus to nose.

[Tucker's Mom]

Once you know what the laws are, depending on what type of vehicle you bumped the deer is, check your tires and the axle. Our son was going back to ND with a friend two years ago and wanting to get back to uni that night and sleep in their own bed. They both decided to swap driving until they reached uni. That was a 14 hour drive from Missouri. It was 11PM when we got a call that his friend was driving his car, he was asleep when the deer just came out of nowhere. It cost us 4 tires and a broken axle or something...Three questions we asked: Have you called 911?, Are you both OK? and Is the car still driveable?