How to humanely kill deer that have been hit by a car

brigadoon · Dec 16, 2019

ollie989898 said:
Always have knife and something in the car ie extension bar for this but where exactly do you hit them? I would aim to knock it out first then cut throat but again how exactly.

render the animal unconscious by blunt trauma to the forehead or back of head, whichever is safer for you, use as much force as you can so that the result you need is achieved first time.

Then feel for the angle of the lower jawbone and cut deeply into the neck just behind that angle, if you do it from both sides (or deeply enough from one) you open both jugular vein and carotid artery and the animal will bleed out quickly.

Caution - you may get a spray out when you first open it up and unless severely incapacitated by a broken spinal cord you WILL have the animal thrashing around as blood pressure falls. Withdraw out of range of flying feet until it is dead.

Test for death by touching the open eyeball - with your extension bar

Trying to sever the spinal cord at the atlas joint is not for novices

You are legally allowed to use any means to prevent further suffering but obviously you should use what is best for the animal and available.

brigadoon · Dec 16, 2019

Chae1 said:
My friend once dispatched one with a bottle jack on roadside. Onlookers were a bit disturbed when he stood up again and got back in car spattered in blood.

Once had the experience of kneeling on a roe whilst opening a knife as the school bus went past .............slowly

robbie · Dec 16, 2019

I friend of mine who is a game keeper got held up behind two cars that had hit a roe deer. The deer was in a poor state and had broken legs and some bloody coming from its mouth and nose which indicated it had internal damage.

My mate was on his gator doing his rounds at the time and had a gun with him. He asked everyone to move away and he'd dispatch the animal. Two people more or less flung themselves onto the animal in tears and refused to move, they immediately called the local animal sanctuary and told my mate to go away. The sanctuary turned up and sat with the injured animal on the side of the road for over two hours before it finally died.

I cant imagine what distress and pain that animal went through all caused by the sheer ignorance of some so called animal lovers.

CornishTone · Dec 16, 2019

I hit a kangaroo about 12 months ago. A hard thump between the eyes with the wheel brace did the trick. Need to be out the way of their legs as well!

Colleague of mine came across a car full of Japanese tourists who'd hit an Emu on the highway. They were quite upset so he told them to leave it to him. He didn't have anything on him other than his steel toe cap boots... The report came back to head office that one of our employees was seen, in uniform, by the side of the highway bludgeoning an Emu to death with his own shoes!

We all though it was bloody funny anyway!

Hampton · Dec 16, 2019

I once hit one that ran across the road when I lived in Cannock chase (correction, it hit the front wing of my car).
I was about to drag it into the hedge and ring the insurance when the Bloke coming the other way stopped his car in tears and insisted We call the police. Police came in twenty mins but after about ten, the deer came out of its daze, got up and ran off! The guy in the car said “well I may as well go then, and left me waiting for the police with a damaged car and no culprit!

yellow belly · Dec 16, 2019

round here Lincolnshire the deer group get 150 calls a year to dispatch deer and wild life run down on the roads

betweenthelines · Dec 16, 2019

CornishTone said:
I hit a kangaroo about 12 months ago. A hard thump between the eyes with the wheel brace did the trick. Need to be out the way of their legs as well!

Colleague of mine came across a car full of Japanese tourists who'd hit an Emu on the highway. They were quite upset so he told them to leave it to him. He didn't have anything on him other than his steel toe cap boots... The report came back to head office that one of our employees was seen, in uniform, by the side of the highway bludgeoning an Emu to death with his own shoes!

We all though it was bloody funny anyway!

I know you get kangaroos an Emu in Cornwall, but never seen a car full of Japanese tourists!

CornishTone · Dec 16, 2019

betweenthelines said:
I know you get kangaroos an Emu in Cornwall, but never seen a car full of Japanese tourists!

You have to keep real quiet and try not to make any sudden moves that may startle them!

Lincs Lass · Dec 16, 2019

yellow belly said:
round here Lincolnshire the deer group get 150 calls a year to dispatch deer and wild life run down on the roads

Landlord often got calls to go out and finish one of and then find it hanging from the pallet tines in the shed ,,his freezer was full of rta venison

Kiwi Pete · Dec 16, 2019

So how do you guys and girls kill a sheep for the house?

I've never ever hit one on the head first; it's always been a quick cut the throat, exposing the vertebrae of the neck with that cut, then quickly break the neck to access the spinal cord and sever it with the tip of your knife. Generally this takes 3-4 seconds.

Reading through this thread has made me mindful that what I have done (since about the age of ten, which is when I had the strength to do it) isn't really any different to the "non stun halal" method so violently opposed on here (by me, as well) so there must be a little bit of hypocrisy in me.

I think if you're a professional slaughterhouse then there are certain facilities and methods you must use for "animal rights concerns" however if it's more of an emergency or you're a realist, then whatever does the job quickly and without pain/suffering/stress is fine.
The main thing to remember is that life is a cycle, the only sure thing is that death is a part of the life cycle and whatever we can do is better than doing nothing.

"Thoughts and prayers" isn't going to save a badly wounded animal from pain and suffering, I can only wish that when it's my time I go quickly, too

steveR · Dec 16, 2019

Kiwi Pete said:
So how do you guys and girls kill a sheep for the house?

"Thoughts and prayers" isn't going to save a badly wounded animal from pain and suffering, I can only wish that when it's my time I go quickly, too

.22 back of the head into the brain. Have helped more than one neighbour in the past...

Totally agree with your final comments...

steveR · Dec 16, 2019

jellybean said:
I always carry my humane killer in the pickup plus a good knife but that is maybe not going to help with the ones that are still mobile but badly smashed. That's when you need your rifle but you are then laying yourself open to all sorts of legal issues if anybody sees you shoot on a public highway or you shoot on someone else land without permission, but only if you get caught. Your conscience and common sense will come to your rescue in most cases.

I will be having a bevvy on Thursday with a couple of local fuzz, one of whom was ARV until recently (coming up to retirement), so I'll ask what his views are on your point.

Personally, I would do the same as I do with a sheep... back of the head, or what is the skull thickness like of a deer, would a HV .22 penetrate?

If with a shotgun, where is the best place to dispatch a larger deer?

I know a couple of the local keepers on the big estates are called out if the deer is "on their land" when hit.

Kiwi Pete · Dec 16, 2019

steveR said:
.22 back of the head into the brain. Have helped more than one neighbour in the past...

Totally agree with your final comments...

Cheers Steve, I've often wondered what other people do for their personal homekill.

I just do what my old man showed me to do, and his main focus was "don't just leave it to bleed out, for God's sake, what a way to die" hence the quick neck-break.

I hope the veginas aren't reading this thread, but

This is about the perfect tool for emergency usage, it doubles as an extension for the wheel-brace, and will kill anything under 750kgs (trust me on this one, I've killed a bull with it)

Jerry · Dec 16, 2019

I used to be on the local list for the police to be called out if a deer was involved in an RTA.

They would call and I’d have to go out to dispatch it on the road side. Either with a hand gun, humane killer or rifle depending on circumstances.

The most memorable events were on the motorway. Road closed as I wander around the tarmac with a rifle in hand trying to find a deer in the dark while the police and highways guys wet themselves about H&S.

steveR · Dec 16, 2019

Jerry said:
I used to be on the local list for the police to be called out if a deer was involved in an RTA.

They would call and I’d have to go out to dispatch it on the road side. Either with a hand gun, humane killer or rifle depending on circumstances.

The most memorable events were on the motorway. Road closed as I wander around the tarmac with a rifle in hand trying to find a deer in the dark while the police and highways guys wet themselves about H&S.

Can believe that, some Police do get very stressed at firearms in civvy hands...

Those that shoot either professionally or for leisure, tend to have a more relaxed attitude...

Pond digger · Dec 17, 2019

I hope you lot never find me injured by the roadside.?

Kiwi Pete · Dec 17, 2019

Pond digger said:
I hope you lot never find me injured by the roadside.?

A broken leg meant a death sentence last week on TFF..... be very afraid

Sandpit Farm · Dec 17, 2019

Probably the blokiest thread ever

Can't believe a plastic bag can be described as humane though!

steveR · Dec 17, 2019

Sandpit Farm said:
Probably the blokiest thread ever

Can't believe a plastic bag can be described as humane though!

Dunno, my Sprog One could be classed as pretty feminist in many ways (or is that feminine) but I think she could identify with most of the content here... Granted, No.2 would be horrified!!!

Can't believe a plastic bag can be described as humane though!

Better than two hours of suffering??

farmerm · Dec 17, 2019

JP1 said:
This thread certainly highlights a few things; not that many know how to dispatch a large deer correctly and humanely (me included I hasten to add)

It's very common around here ( as @Exfarmer will warrant), mainly Muntjac but not exclusively - we have a lot of Roe and Red Deer too
The local gamekeepers and countrymen are very loathe to deal with deer on public highways now. You can wait hours for a police ARV.

Most folks drive absolutely stupid speeds along "empty" country roads without any thought to a deer (or procession) jumping in front of their car or even through their windscreen

I might be making this up but I was led to believe the police around here have a couple of specialist deer stalkers they keep on speed dial to dispatch such casualty cases? I don't think they are keen to dispatch their limited ARV's for such case... I doubt if it would be entirely safe for an officer to put a round into a deer without first moving it onto a surface more forgiving than tarmac... just look at the recent terror attack in London, one round ricocheted and went though the upper window of a double decker bus

How to humanely kill deer that have been hit by a car

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