Foo - So, I had to Kill Tonight

This post is as gruesome as it sounds, be warned.

This summer I bought a van for an inclosed utility vehicle.
Tonight, to keep its battery charged, I used it to run to town for some junk food. On the way back home I hit a deer. She did little damage to the van (knocked the plastic grill cover off) but I hurt her badly enough that she was not getting up. I called the cops and they told me to wait there while they sent someone out.
While waiting my folks happened to drive by, saw me, and stopped about the same time as the officer showed.

The cop fired at the deer from across the street, wounding her but not killing her. My father gets upset, telling the cop, "You can't kill that deer from here, you can't see where you are shooting it. Go up and shoot it in the head."

Pop is 82, from the Deep South, and we're farm folk. Now he is right, the poor animal was suffering, needed to be put down and taking a single pot shot at it from across the street is no way to go about it. He told the officer that if he would not do it to give Pop the gun and he would shoot the deer. The officer, not quite sure what to think of my father, was trying rationally explain how he can't surrender his weapon, and that a civilian can't discharge a fire arm in the city limits (Pop was about to head home a retrieve a rifle). Pop is hearing none of it and the deer is starting to thrash about, so he declares that he is going to cut the deer's throat and put her down.

Here I step up, the poor cop doesn't have a clue how to deal with my father, and I'm not about to let an octogenarian carve on a thrashing deer, on the side of the road, at night. I take my dad's knife from him and do what had to be done. It took her less than a minute to bleed out.

The cop walked up to me while I was tending to the deer and his eyes were huge. I hear, "Got damn that's country. If it were up to me that animal would have to wait to die. Ain't no way I'd get up close and personal with it."

There is no real end to this story other than my family bewildered a cop, and during the fracas a few people stopped, one of whom had a pickup and wanted the doe, and my mother had the sense to stay in her car.

I like your dad.

That's a tough job, one that I'm sure I could never do no matter how much the deer was suffering. I'm glad you had the strength to do it, Allen.

I like your dad.


He can be intense to say the least.
He's a hell of a good man though. Will give you the shirt off his back for the asking.

That's a tough job, one that I'm sure I could never do no matter how much the deer was suffering. I'm glad you had the strength to do it, Allen.

It's not as tough as one may think. I don't know if that is good or not.
Watching the deer thrash is much harder.

:(

:(

no doubt.

It's not as tough as one may think. I don't know if that is good or not.
Watching the deer thrash is much harder.

I'm sure it is, I'm very glad I never have had to witness such a thing. How I would react in that situation, I don't know. I only wish I'd be able to do what you did. I don't think I could though. :(

That's tough. http://www.bikeforums.net/mysmiliesvb/mysmilie_15.gif

I've almost hit several deer in the last week, and I don't know what I'd do in that situation.

so will y'all be eating venison steaks for the next month or not? If not, what a waste....

so will y'all be eating venison steaks for the next month or not? If not, what a waste....

A passerby took it.
I don't really care for venison, too tough, too gristly.

So Allen, how are YOU feeling? I know you had to do what is right and having to decide fast, it must be settling in now. You okay? :o

Yikes -- not sure how I would have reacted.

Glad to hear it ended well, though. No one was hurt, and the deer met a more merciful death.

I like your dad.

yes


that cop on the other hand.....:mad:

I had the exact thing happen to me when I was riding in someone's else's car in the Cascade mountains in north central Washington. We were on our way to a snowshoeing hike. The deer tried to hurdle the road directly in front of the car going about 30 mph. We hit the deer squarely. It was not killed outright and could not move its hind legs, suggesting a spinal injury. The humane thing to do was put it down. Fortunately, I had a revolver with me and was able to do so quickly. Not having the equipment with us to field dress it, we dragged it to the side of the road and left it for the scavengers. It really did a number on the Saturn station wagon, though.

So Allen, how are YOU feeling? I know you had to do what is right and having to decide fast, it must be settling in now. You okay? :o

Yeah, I'm good with it.
Not my first time, we used to raise pigs.
First time with a knife though.

I did take a hell of a long shower and I never got around to eating my junk food.


Thank you for asking, Siu, that's very kind.

Thanks for standing up and doing what needed to be done, Allen. I've always had respect for you and this just reaffirms that.

Thanks for standing up and doing what needed to be done, Allen. I've always had respect for you and this just reaffirms that.

Awww:love:
You're just saying that 'cause I'm holding a knife. {waves hand coquettishly**

Awww:love:
You're just saying that 'cause I'm holding a knife. {waves hand coquettishly**

Nah...I'm just saying it because your vocabulary includes the word coquettishly. ;)

so will y'all be eating venison steaks for the next month or not? If not, what a waste....


Allen had a little lamb,
his father shot it dead.
Now, Allen takes it to work with him,
between two pieces of bread.

Awww:love:
You're just saying that 'cause I'm holding a blood-stained knife. {waves hand coquettishly**Fixed, so as to reflect what makes all the difference in the world.

Yeah, I'm good with it.
Not my first time, we used to raise pigs.
First time with a knife though.

I did take a hell of a long shower and I never got around to eating my junk food.


Thank you for asking, Siu, that's very kind.

((hugs))

If nothing else, I would have pulled my sledge hammer from my trunk to crush it's skull in, if I didn't just shoot it with my .45 before the cops got there. That would be so terrible, getting shot, then having your throat cut. :(

Back home in Louisiana I was following a State Trooper buddy of mine home after his shift when he took a call that was on our way home about a similar situation. He, however, had no problem popping a round off point blank with his glock. Said dear ended up in the back of my truck and we dressed it out at his place. Yum.

A passerby took it.
I don't really care for venison, too tough, too gristly.

A doe is pretty tender, though, Allen. Not as much Testosterone to toughen the meat,

I’m sorry you had to have that experience Allen. :hug:

Thank you and your father for not wanting to participate in letting the doe continue to suffer. I think it’s tragic to let an animal suffer needlessly with no hope for recovery. Doing the right thing, the merciful thing certainly isn’t always the easy thing.

As much as I believe in that kind of mercy....if I had been there I still would have had compassionate tears flowing down my face as the doe was dying.

Your father seems like a special man….:

A doe is pretty tender, though, Allen. Not as much Testosterone to toughen the meat,

Marinade anything in overnight, and slow cook it for 6 hours, and it will become tender. :thumb:

I understand, I had to put a llama down that was suffering

AllenG, let me say you did the right thing without a doubt. Your Dad was right about putting the animal out of it's misery. I have never met your Dad but he sounds like a really stand up guy!

Slitting the throat is an effective and humane way to put the animal out. Hopefully the poor thing did not suffer too much. Gut shots casue the animal untold misery. How could the cop shoot at a deer from across the road? Sheesh!!! I am glad the animal was taken for meat and did not go to waste.

AllenG, you handled the situation in outstanding fashion.

From the title, I'm glad to see it wasn't crackerjab who started this thread.



So Allen, how are YOU feeling? I know you had to do what is right and having to decide fast, it must be settling in now. You okay? :o


Yeah, I'm good with it.
Not my first time, we used to raise pigs.
First time with a knife though.

If you had said this was the first time, I would have been shocked. That would be hardcore. I assumed you had done it before from hunting or from raising animals. But doing it the first time with a knife, that must have been a little tough. Good to hear you were able to take decisive action.

I understand the inexperienced cop not wanting to go right up to the deer for fear of getting kicked, but shooting from across the street is frickin' wussy, and obviously just added to the deer's misery. For some reason I would have expected a Georgia cop to be more "country" than that. :rolleyes:

City cop.
Not his fault that he is intimated by large animals, he had never been around them.
Also in the cop's defense I'm going to say, not having the heart to kill, may be a quality that should be championed in the police.

Foo, y'all are good folk.
Thanks.

You and your father sound like good men. Sounds like the officer might have learned a little about doing the right thing from the two of you.

not having the heart to kill, may be a quality that should be championed in the police.

...leaving them (concience) free to pepper spray & taser to their hearts content?


*Don't taze me, Bro.............EITHER!*

Back home in Louisiana I was following a State Trooper buddy of mine home after his shift when he took a call that was on our way home about a similar situation. He, however, had no problem popping a round off point blank with his glock. Said dear ended up in the back of my truck and we dressed it out at his place. Yum.

I was just thinking that there would have been no ordeal around here. Police are not usually called to such incidents. Out in the country, most everyone has a weapon. And if you don't like venison, a friend or neighbor does.

I take it this was whitetail deer, a little bit bigger than the blacktail deer we have around here. I think I would like your dad, he sounds like an original.

Steven

About a dozen years back I had to dispatch a possum who had been terrorizing our cats and eating their food on repeated occasions. It was kind of a sickening feeling when I broke it's spine with the spade.

Sorry you had to do that Allen. I can't imagine how that cop will fare if he's ever in a tense situation. Hope he does better than I get the sense he would.

You showed mercy. It had to be done, though I'm sorry you had to do it.

I like your Dad too, sounds like he's a smart man. And he raised a good son.

I hit a deer that was attempting to cross a 4 lane freeway a few months ago. My car was significantly damaged ($3400 of damage) but was drivable. Since it happened on a Sunday, I needed my car to get to work on Monday morning.

One thing that I never thought about was how you go about cleaning your vehicle after a collision. I was hoping I could call Mr. Wolf and he would take care of it but instead I had to go to a manual car wash. Not much fun.

From the title, I'm glad to see it wasn't crackerjab who started this thread.

So it's like that huh? :p

That was one lame cop! He had no business being on patrol in the country if that was the best he could do! I'd have been as pissed as your Dad was. Glad you had the gumption to do
what had to be done.

It's not as tough as one may think. I don't know if that is good or not.
Watching the deer thrash is much harder.

Yes, it is...much better to dispatch the deer rather than have it suffer needlessly.

East Hill

... so dinner is not ready?

You did the right thing. I hope someone made the most of the meat.