Deer with a broken Leg

[Guest adamoxtwo]

So I was looking in my field and I noticed 8 deer running around playing and standing on their hind legs kicking one another. I had never witnessed that before ad thought that was pretty cool. While watching them I noticed that one of them was hopping around on three legs. the Deer tried to run but fell down. I tried to call the Game Warden (and WD) but couldn't reach anyone. Is this something that the Game warden would be interested in? I feel bad but the deer was moving about so I'm not sure. What do you all think?

[Caster]

I dunno. I'd be interested in knowing if putting it down [provided this is your own property] would be acceptable. It would certainly be the humane thing to do. It's just gonna be coyote bait anyway.

[Guest adamoxtwo]

It looked young too....and by young I mean small.

[Glenn]

Recently my wife came upon a deer that had been hit by a car and was badly injured. She called me wanting to know what to do. I told her it had to be put down. Not what she wanted to hear. I tried to call TWRA since I thought it would be illegal to shoot the deer. Couldn't get an answer after numerous tries, even though their number was supposed to be manned until midnight. During all this, someone else called Knox co sheriff, who never showed up but sent the dog catcher.

Anyway, the point of all this was that TWRA called me back the next morning and the woman said it would have been legal to put the deer down as long as you were not violating a local gun law such as discharging in the city, and you did not take possession of the deer , without their permission, which could be ruled as illegal hunting.

Meanwhile someone else stopped and did the right thing.

Glenn

[Guest adamoxtwo]

good to know. I will try them again today and if I see the deer again I'll take care of it.

[peejman]

A friend hit a deer with his wife and 2 young daughters in the car. The deer wasn't killed and was suffering terribly in the ditch. Their car was mashed pretty good and once he confirmed everyone was ok and called the law, the wife and kids got real upset over the deer. He didn't have a firearm with him, so he found a big rock with which to end it's suffering. A truck pulled up on the scene and a guy got out. The guy saw the big rock and said... don't do that, I've got a better way. He pulled a gun out of his glove box and shot the deer. The cop showed up a minute or two later and noticed the deer had been shot. All the cop said to the guy was ... thanks, you saved me a lot of paperwork if I'd had to shoot it. If you don't want it, I'll call TWRA to come get it.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I've hit a few deer on the tracks, and have seen some get up. I've also seen several deer with missing or

broken legs that may have been caused by being run over by me or my fellow engineers. Not a sight I care

to see, but there's not much that can be done about it.

[~48_South~]

I had a doe at my place that went on with 3 legs for years, she even managed to breed and have babies every year. Watching her run around there wasnt anything that made me want to put her down she seemed fine. If its a fresh injusry sure they might be falling down a little at first but if they are anything alike they can probably get use to the problem and go about living as they normally would, or atleast thats what happened in my case.

Edited May 24, 2012 by ~48_South~

[10-Ring]

I've hit a few deer on the tracks, and have seen some get up. I've also seen several deer with missing or

broken legs that may have been caused by being run over by me or my fellow engineers. Not a sight I care

to see, but there's not much that can be done about it.

Okay if train horns don't work I'm thinking those little deer whistles are a scam.

[10-Ring]

I had a doe at my place that went on with 3 legs for years, she even managed to breed and have babies every year. Watching her run around there wasnt anything that made me want to put her down she seemed fine. If its a fresh injusry sure they might be falling down a little at first but if they are anything alike they can probably get use to the problem and go about living as they normally would, or atleast thats what happened in my case.

We had one that was missing a front leg one season, saw it several times around the house. It still got around pretty well and looked healthy otherwise.

[Guest adamoxtwo]

48 I have to agree. I have been thinking about it a lot today and I think that I will let nature take its course. If I see her during the hunting season I'll harvest her first, but if she is still eating and moving around I believe it best to let her go on.

[NRA]

yes I say let nature take its course,

[whiskey]

48 I have to agree. I have been thinking about it a lot today and I think that I will let nature take its course. If I see her during the hunting season I'll harvest her first, but if she is still eating and moving around I believe it best to let her go on.

Good choice. IMHO, just because we can step in, doesn't mean we should.

My favorite story of the will to live in nature is a squirrel that lived in our front yard a few years back. In the city we were living in, there were several, all black squirrels. One lived in the oak in our front yard. When it was young, some stray cat caught it by the tail. The squirrel got away, but it's tail was broken and later that year, the broken part fell off. So now I had a black, half tail squirrel living in my front yard. The next year it got caught by another cat and lost a front leg in the process. I noticed it "three-legging" it across the power lines one day, half tail wagging to try and balance. A few months later I came home from work and noticed two cats at the bottom of my power poll in the front yard. I got out and walked down to the pole. The cats ran off and I noticed the three legged, half tailed, black squirrel about 4 feet up the pole, panting for air, bleeding from a couple deep cuts and too tired to flee from me. I turned and went back to the house to get a .22 and put it down. On the way out to shoot it, I changed my mind. This sucker had survived so much, that I wasn't going to kill it. I sat in the yard and kept the cats run off till the squirrel regained it's breath and limped back to the oak tree. I figured it would crawl in it's den and die. Well, a few days later I see it hoping around the bird feeder. We moved shortly after that and the squirrel and I feel out of touch....

[Guest adamoxtwo]

That is an awesome story about that squirrel. Animals are resilient and I think that people forget about that. For them it's survival day in and day out. If that Deer ends up not making it than that's a part of nature and I'm ok with it. Now if that deer broke all four legs and it couldn't move that's a different story, but as of now it can still provide for itself.

[Oh Shoot]

... All the cop said to the guy was ... thanks, you saved me a lot of paperwork if I'd had to shoot it...

Was talking to a Knox County deputy up at range one time about knives, he had a CS SRK. Said he kept it in kit on shift just for finishing off critters so he didn't have to shoot them for same reason, the paper work for a discharged round; said he'd done several deer.

- OS

[oldogy]

I had a three legged doe on my place for several years. And yes she produced and raised a fawn.

[Caster]

Was talking to a Knox County deputy up at range one time about knives, he had a CS SRK. Said he kept it in kit on shift just for finishing off critters so he didn't have to shoot them for same reason, the paper work for a discharged round; said he'd done several deer.

- OS

I'm guessing keeping a .22 in the car might have got him fired????

[Oh Shoot]

I'm guessing keeping a .22 in the car might have got him fired????

Without knowing the rules, yeah, I'd assume that carrying an extra non-issued firearm is a no-no. Drop guns, etc.

- OS