Discussion of a downed deer, be civil!

[shane37110]

I posted this in the "Ask TWRA" section first, but I thought it would be a good topic for open discussion as well.
Quoted from that thread:
"Say hypothetically I have a deer down with a incapacitating shot from a legal means and manners weapon, but it's not dying fast. A spine shot maybe. It's unable to get up, thrashing about struggling to get up and I want to put it down with a coup dr grâce. Does the coup de grâce have to be with a legal means and manner weapon or will any means suffice? One of my son's friends was cited this season for putting one out of it's suffering with a .22 pistol. And I get the restrictions on hunting big game with a .22, but I have often cut the throat of an injured animal to let it bleed out like you do when you slaughter farm animals and it got me to thinking. Could I not be cited for cutting the throat since a knife isn't legal to deer hunt with?
From a common sense situation I don't feel the put down shot with the .22 is a citable offense. I know the black and white of the law says no hunting with a rimfire and I know this boy wasn't. His primary hunting gun was a .270 or such.
It's already settled in court so it's all water under the bridge but I'd really like to know your thougts on this please."

Bear in mind I realize my thoughts are not necessarily legal, but are borne out of growing up on a farm and slaughtering our own cows, hogs, and chickens.
Keep it civil and this is NOT a TWRA bashing thread nor will it be.

 

[rem270]

There's no way I could ever grab the neck of a living animal and cut it's throat and watch it die like that. No way I would use a .22 to finish one off either. If I make a bad shot I'm trying to put it out of it's easier the fastest and quickest way possible and it's going to be with my high powered rifle or mz.

 

[Kimber45]

Throat cut happens a lot. My thoughts, any means of finishing off a thrashing animal should be acceptable. Problem lies in ppl who’d use the allowance in an illegal manner I’d guess.

 

[Jcalder]

I know some carry their pistol thru the season. Same concept, if it happened during archery or muzzy season. I don't have a problem with it but it's TWRA's call. Not ours. Same could be said for tracking a deer at sunset. You find the deer and it's more than 30 minutes after sunset, but still alive. Do you shoot it again and risk the ticket, or do you back out and go after it in the morning. I know what I'd do....


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[Mattt]

Nothing wrong with what he did. Absolutely nothing wrong with using a knife either. If u haven't had to put one down up close you have been lucky. Not fortunate just lucky. The goal is a clean quick kill. A heavy rock although brutal will end any suffering. If there is something wrong with using a knife then archery shouldn't be allowed either.

 

[RUGER]

To answer your question, yes you could be cited for cutting it's throat just as the guy was for using a .22
Any hunter would do whatever necessary to end the suffering though.
I have done the throat cutting because that's how I was told to do it.
I didn't care for it at all and another shot from the weapon I am hunting with is my prefered method.


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[cbhunter]

I say put it out of its misery by whatever means necessary. If I have another shell/load, that’s the easiest option. I have had to slit throats before as well. I would be lying if I said I never carried a 22 with me while tracking a deer but I never had to use it.


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[scn]

Totally illegal to use a "carry" pistol during the archery and muzzleloader season to finish off a wounded animal. If it is a legal caliber, no issue during the gun season.

 

[Hollar Hunter]

If your going to carry a sidearm don’t carry a rimfire simple solution. If you have an arrow or another bullet use it to put the deer down. A partially live deer can be a dangerous animal. I seen a 300lb plus man lifted off his feet and tossed by a yearling 6pt. That being said I was in a situation once a long time ago out of arrows and a long way from the truck. The deer was laid up not moving much but certainly still alive and I finished him off with a knife. I will say when that blade hit the deer he certainly still had some surprising strength to him.

 

[shane37110]

Totally illegal to use a "carry" pistol during the archery and muzzleloader season to finish off a wounded animal. If it is a legal caliber, no issue during the gun season.

I assume that a muzzleloader pistol would be legal in muzzloader season.
What about cutting it's throat?

 

[RandyinTN]

I just don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t just shoot it again with the weapon they used the first time.

 

[shane37110]

And I have to say that in my official capacity I've killed more deer that have been struck by a motor vehicle with a North American .22 than I ever killed with a rifle so up close it's not a matter of the .22 being inadequate.

 

[scn]

Totally illegal to use a "carry" pistol during the archery and muzzleloader season to finish off a wounded animal. If it is a legal caliber, no issue during the gun season.

I assume that a muzzleloader pistol would be legal in muzzloader season.
What about cutting it's throat?

A muzzleloader pistol would be legal during the muzzleloader season. While "cutting the throat" would technically not be a legal method of kill, I've never known anyone to be cited for finishing one off that way. Using a knife as the primary weapon as is done by some hog hunters is not a legal method, and I have heard of a citation or two for that.

 

[deer hunter 21]

Why would you not just use the same weapon you shot it the first time with?

 

[shane37110]

I just don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t just shoot it again with the weapon they used the first time.

Conservation of meat comes to mind, then the possibility of not ruining a trophy. Conservation of ammo maybe. Take your .270 out and shoot a red mountain dew with a real close or contact shot, maybe a hunter wouldn't want to wear the pink mist home...
Either way if you've put down 1000lb hogs or 2000lb steers with a .22 to the head, you're pretty confident it will dispatch a whitetail more efficiently with less collateral damage than another round of high power rifle ammo.

 

[mr.big]

I have put several pets down with a Ruger Standard Automatic 4 inch 22LR,,one shot execution style and never had one bark or sqweel ,,if it`s good enough for Ole Yeller it should be good enough period,

 

[deer hunter 21]

I just don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t just shoot it again with the weapon they used the first time.

Conservation of meat comes to mind, then the possibility of not ruining a trophy. Conservation of ammo maybe. Take your .270 out and shoot a red mountain dew with a real close or contact shot, maybe a hunter wouldn't want to wear the pink mist home...
Either way if you've put down 1000lb hogs or 2000lb steers with a .22 to the head, you're pretty confident it will dispatch a whitetail more efficiently with less collateral damage than another round of high power rifle ammo.

The animal is already disable so you walk up and put a well placed shot behind the shoulder and you won't lose anymore meat than you would have if you made the lethal shot the first time.

 

[MUP]

I just don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t just shoot it again with the weapon they used the first time.

Kinda what I was thinking.

 

[Laserman1]

Shoot it again with the same weapon? Cause I've seen a guy shoot 4 arrows into a doe and she is still kicking. She was on the ground after the first shot. He tries to finish her with the second , them 2 more before she quit thrashing and bawling. A knife would have been quicker.

 

[catman529]

I've dispatched a couple of deer with a legal weapon but after shooting light ended. The one time I didn't do that, I never found the deer. I'd rather take the chance and end the suffering


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