Unfortunately after arriving at work I was dispatched to a car v.s. deer crash. Heavey buck with a small rack was lying in road and then got up and walked into woods about 100' and laid down. It was tough when I first got there because a kid was waiting for the school bus with mom just on the other side of this river bed, and on the same side of the street as the deer. Waiting to euthanize the deer while a bus slowly made its way down the street was raising my blood pressure watching the deers labored breathing. Finally after what was probably three minutes I put the deer away and called animal control who was late to work as usual. He eats the deer so it wont go to waste.

I had a bambi run into my truck a few years ago on my way to Watch Hill. The deer darted across the road, I slowed down, it darted back and as I was going fairly slow through past that point it ran out and ran straight into my rim.

An "auxilary" cop was behind me and saw the whole thing, he asked me to pull up and wait. Half hour later he comes by asking if I heard the shot (I didn't) and said he put it out of its misery. He then states that the shameful part was he did it in front of a group home for kids :huh:

Never too early for kids to learn that there's nothing wrong (in fact, everything right) with putting down a suffering animal. I would have been nice if the officer went into the group home and explained that to the kids. :(

Would they be any good to eat or just totally bruised up meat?

What did animal control do with the deer? Dispose of the carcus or clean it and get some steaks out of it?

In PA you can keep the deer you hit, just have to report it to the Game Commission. Unfortunately some questionable characters actually buy real cheap (<$500) cars and fly around the back roads at night...

Tell me something Frank....when you have a need such as this where you need to discharge your firearm, do you need authorization before you do so? Just a silly question!:huh: Have you ever fired your weapon before on duty?:huh:

You're allowed to keep any deer you Hit in MA too

I fired it before Larry.

I need no authorization, however, in the last 10 to 15 years rules were implemented that mandate a written report for discharging your weapon.

I have to account for every round. After using two shots to make sure I hit the killed the deer I returned to the station and took two more rounds from my locker, because my rules and regs. state specifically how many rounds I am supposed to have in my weapon and on my holster, 46.

A few times it was necessary to euthanize other animals.

The driver or one of the passengers in the motor vehicle that collided with the deer can take the deer. It has to be tagged though. One of our guys has tags. The animal control officer has tags also. Animal control tagged and took this deer. As long as the intestines are not smashed to smitherines the meat is still good.

Mike I agree with the kids learning about such things. I should have just shot the animal instead of waiting at all, but with the way things are I guess avoiding a public hearing with PETA reps in attendance is a worthwhile.

correct me if i'm wrong but i think in most jurisdictions you have to wait for the environmental/conservation officer tag the deer before you can take possession of it.

I been down that sorry road Ben. Yeah, you should let epo's know but town cops often don't know the rules so when something like that happens it gets swept under the carpet.

A few years ago my brother came across a hit deer, laying there still alive in distress. My brother offered to take it down with his bow....the cop said go a head and he threw it in the pick up, no biggie.

About 8 yrs ago, we had alot of red tape over that same thing, hit deer, the lady didn't want it, gave it to my brother, cop said its ok. We cleaned and package it up. Epo's call and say.. bring every inch of that deer down here now or else. So he brings two big hams(frozen) they take the hams and give my brother a ticket for illegle possion of a deer. WTF! The law states: the deer 1st belongs to the driver then the the state. Well the driver gave the deer to my brother and the cop called it in to make sure. Those sob's just wanted free meat and gave him a written warning to boot. We then went downtown and visted congressman Barny Frank and told him we got porked. They erased the warning and kept the meat. So they can do pretty much what ever they want,, it all depends on who's at the scene.

Ben, we have an officer who has the tags because he was given them by the EPO's. He can fill them out and turns it in. I can asked him for one and fill it out also.

I will also say that when it comes to who gets the meat, the driver 1st or a passenger, 2nd, in the offending vehicle (joking) if no one takes it and it is going to go to waste and a person wants it that NEEDS it they can have it. I know of several familes who eat venison that have too, not because they particularly enjoy it. Goose the officer should have kept his yap shut. Because he technically broke the law if he didn't have tags, and should have received a ticket first, that is for letting your brother have the deer.

correct me if i'm wrong but i think in most jurisdictions you have to wait for the environmental/conservation officer tag the deer before you can take possession of it.

Here in NJ its apparantly diff in every county or even town.
In Parsippany NJ I hit 2 deer on seperate occasions, called it in and they said "just take it",no report, nothing.In my parents town my dad clocked one real good and I had to pick it up, and DRIVE the freakin corpse to the police station and wait for paperwork to be completed. Maybe they just go more by the book. Who knows.
Im sure Taxachusetts would probably want you to pay some kind of tax on it before you take posession.:D

I think the EPO's like to keep track of the deer count more than anything, and diseased animals. I was told in the last week that a Plymouth cty. butcher who does deer has cut up a dozen deer this year that had cysts inside, and not small ones either. Cut one open and it did stink. Butcher notified the EPO's.

In PA you can keep the deer you hit, just have to report it to the Game Commission. Unfortunately some questionable characters actually buy real cheap (<$500) cars and fly around the back roads at night...

Guys up in Maine have been doing this since the early 70's that I know of. Larger members of the deer family up there too. The prefered vehicle was an old chevy impala. Knock the legs out from under a moose and have meat for the winter.

When I used to stay in ME I was always told deer taste better out of season.
Hit it with the Impala so you don't damage the truck.
Ayuh.

In PA you can keep the deer you hit, just have to report it to the Game Commission. Unfortunately some questionable characters actually buy real cheap (<$500) cars and fly around the back roads at night...

oh gosh, that is too funny! :hihi: :blush:

(sorry)