Input..I had too put a deer down that was hit..input
I wanted to get some fellow hunters input about a situation I find myself in often.
A few weeks back during the 3rd day of the Pa. rifle season. My wife and I were going to a local reastaurant when a small button buck was hit by the car we were following on a small two-lane highway close to my central Pa. house. It jumped from the bank and a teenage girl hit it with her car and rolled it under the car breaking the deers back and it layed in the middle of the two-lane highway stopping all traffic. I stopped my Jeep and my wife got out and dirrected traffic. The girl was upset and I went to get the deer off the road. A lady in the on-coming pulled her car up to stop traffic. I couldnt move the deer because it was alive and bawing trying to drag itself across the road with no effect. I knew I had to put the deer down and I told the lady in the on-coming lane, she agreed and would keep the lined up cars behind her back.
It was sad to see the strugglling deer in pain so I quickly pulled my North American Arms 5-shot 22cal. from my pocket and got behind the deer in the direction of the cornfield he came out of. I put the gun 12" from its head and shot it behind the ear killing it instantly.
I then quickly pulled the dead deer across the road to get the traffic moving.
From the time I stopped the Jeep to the time I got the deer off the road took about 2 min. A lady that was in a mini-van that was waiting in line started to swear and call me names because I shot the deer infront of her kids. They were back about 50yards behind the lady that was stopping traffic for me.
I have put alot of deer down along the road from being hit and I never once heard anything but thanks for doing it and being humane about it. I tried to tell the lady that the deers back was broken and I couldnt move the deer because it was in pain. She continued to swear at me in front of her kids and I then took control of the situation and told her to keep moving and get out of hear. She swore at my wife as well as she drove away and my wife was calm and told her to keep moving. I wouldnt have done it any different if I had to do over again. I dont like to put deer down and having a lady curse me out doesnt make the task any eaiser.
Would you have done anything different??