I was on my way to the archery shop to shoot some vegas practice, about 1:00pm.
Couple miles form the house In a field I see a doe laying in the weeds head up just looking around. I turn around and go back, she appears to be alone. I watch her watch me. When I stop, I see her lay her ears back and flatten her head to the ground in an attempt to blend in even better. Cool! I leave her be and go shoot, A good 2+ hours later I'm coming home. She's still there?? Hmmm thats not right. She's still alert and looking around. I get out of my truck and walk towards her. I'm talking to her.."You hurt momma?" "I mean you no harm just checkin." I get closer she tries to get up. She has no front legs and is trying to push herself on with her broken back legs. I back off. "I tell her it'll be ok try and relax." I call the local cops, unsure if they will be able to do what needs done. In minutes a Police Officer shows up. I tell him the story and as a hunter himself he says I'll put her down. He gets out the Shotgun walks up she tries to push away he lets her have the 00 Buckshot. She lays still but I can still see the steam from her breath as the officer racks another shell again..BOOM... and it's over! He offers me the deer but after a car and 2 rounds of 00 buck I politley pass. He calls dispatch for the name of someone who may want her. I thank him and leave. It's sad to see that, but one way or another she wouldn't have suffered through the night. I'm glad the North Lima (Beaver Township) Police are compassionate country folks just like us!
Is that right?? Wow, how ironic!. I'll tell ya the Officer tried to approach her without spooking her towards any traffic. If you wanna see people's head on a swivel, have a cop walking the road edge with his shotgun drawn and ready at the waist..and a civilian (me) off to his left. I guarentee there are quite a few people telling stories of the big bust..they witnessed tonight.. lol
I had to put one down at work back in the late summer. She layed in the ditch, same thing head up. I walk up talking to her, she tries to get up and both back legs broke. I ask permission from my boss, retrieve my Glock and several pops later, she layed still. Broke my heart.
I posted this last Monday, GR8......in Rybo's thread about "turning points" in our hunting lives.
Quote:
I had a turning point occur, yesterday. Lisa and I were heading up to my mom"s house to do some things for her"..and while riding up the highway"..I glanced to the right and saw a deer behind the guardrail"..bedded with its head up. I got up to the next exit and made a big loop. When I got to where the deer was"..I pulled over and got out. When I got back to her".I could tell her right front leg was mangled up pretty badly. She was just bedded there with her head up".panting badly. I had no weapon with me. Nothing. In the meantime she tried to get up and basically rolled down the embankment, under some brush.
I went back to my truck and looked for anything. Nothing. I called the GW (friend)"and he was off duty and out of the area. He called the on-duty officer".who called me"..and I told him where we were. He came and dispatched her.
I can"t tell you how hard it was to look at that deer in the condition she was in. I"ll never forget it.
To relate this incident to this post""I think my effective range just got even shorter. To thin I might have an animal out there that was suffering like this girl was"..bothers the hell out of me. I now there"s no such thing as a "sure thing"""but they"re gonna have to be close for me, from now on.
You both did a good deed. An untold story on my part that happened during the 2006 bow season. On my way to hunt one early morning and running a little late I saw 3 does crossing the road ahead of me. I slowed down a little but not much because I just knew no more was coming out of the weedpatch. Wrong. A nother mature doe came out just in front of my left headlight, ricocheted and again slammed into my truck just in front of the wheel well. After coming to a stop I got out and the doe was very alive but with a badly broken leg, bleeding from the nose and mouth, I was sure she was damaged internally. As I drew closer she was able to take a leap on 3 legs but stumbled again, this time into a ditch and gave up. Don't know exactly why I didn't go for the bowcase, just something I did at the time but I pulled out my knife and approached her carefully from the backside and quickly slit her throat. Sadness came over me, I didn't want the doe, didn't take the doe. A guy came along and said he'd help me load her, I asked if he wanted her he said yes! In his truck she went. I turned around, went home and called the sheriff's office, not that much damage to my old crappy truck and I could have reported it later........just didn't feel like hunting....strange.
Interesting Day..doe down
. An untold story on my part that happened during the 2006 bow season. On my way to hunt one early morning and running a little late I saw 3 does crossing the road ahead of me. I slowed down a little but not much because I just knew no more was coming out of the weedpatch. Wrong. A nother mature doe came out just in front of my left headlight, ricocheted and again slammed into my truck just in front of the wheel well. After coming to a stop I got out and the doe was very alive but with a badly broken leg, bleeding from the nose and mouth, I was sure she was damaged internally. As I drew closer she was able to take a leap on 3 legs but stumbled again, this time into a ditch and gave up. Don't know exactly why I didn't go for the bowcase, just something I did at the time but I pulled out my knife and approached her carefully from the backside and quickly slit her throat. Sadness came over me, I didn't want the doe, didn't take the doe. A guy came along and said he'd help me load her, I asked if he wanted her he said yes! In his truck she went. I turned around, went home and called the sheriff's office, not that much damage to my old crappy truck and I could have reported it later........just didn't feel like hunting....strange.
