Wounding machine

[glenatron]

I was driving along (very slowly) in heavy rain this morning and I hit a deer - he sprang out of the woods at top speed and pretty much hit the corner of my car, so there wasn't anything I could have done to miss him.

It was a nasty hit and the poor little guy ( a roe buck with small antlers ) must have broken one of his hind legs at the least as he couldn't put it down at all, he just went off into the woods and lay down like a fawn. I desperately wanted to help him but there was no way I was going to be able to approach him and after a while he hopped off quite briskly but clearly unable to use that leg at all.

I just feel so horrible that there was nothing at all I could do and I keep wondering whether if I had dived out of the car faster and caught him while he was stunned I might have been able to restrain him and get help. I doubt the little guy will make it because it was a nasty injury, I wish I could have helped him or found a way to get him to treatment but I don't imagine he would be findable in those woods if he didn't want to be found. I hate thinking that there is a beautiful animal out there dying slowly and it is to some degree my fault.

Comments

[harnessphoto.livejournal.com]

This is such a common occurrence here that I feel NOTHING for them any more. I did find one once that was badly injured and laying at the side of the road. I called the police and they put him out of his misery, but that's about all you can do for them here.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

I wish I had missed this little guy, but failing that I kind of wish I had hit him hard enough to be immediately lethal. I guess maybe this is the only case where every second person in the country having a gun might actually be helpful. Although on the whole I'd consider some sad situations like this a reasonable price for the number of school children who don't get shot by nutters here.

I suppose it's better that it happening once is extraordinary, though.

[harnessphoto.livejournal.com]

In NJ, it's illegal to have a gun in your car unless you're transporting somewhere specific with permits, etc. Even if you happened to own a gun AND legally have it with you in the car, you still couldn't legally shoot a deer after you hit it.

[penella22.livejournal.com]

Something like this would make me feel really sad too. In fact, I am still upset about the possum I hit a year ago. I swerved, it swerved, I swerved again, it swerved again. :-( Sign of how awesome a human being you are that stuff like this bothers you. Brene Brown would be a fan.

It may sound silly but I feel better sending them love and light or whatever you can manage. Here's hoping that somehow the deer does not suffer greatly...

[http://users.livejournal.com/blitzen_/]

ugh, how awful.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

So they are actually entirely useless? Well done, New Jersey.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

I'm sure anybody would feel pretty bad. Poor little guy.

I felt better that the family of deer at the yard weren't very concerned about me yesterday evening. It felt like maybe they didn't think I was an enemy to all their kind at least.

[harnessphoto.livejournal.com]

In New Jersey, yes. We have some of the stricter gun laws in the States. The only times you're allowed to use a gun in NJ are if you're hunting (designated seasons, designated areas), for recreation (target shooting, firing ranges, etc.... again, heavily regulated), or to shoot an intruder in your home. Certainly doesn't stop the criminals, but it's a far cry from the gun totin' rednecks everyone seems to think we are...

[gnapp.livejournal.com]

You aren't really lucky with your driving lately. That sounds awful. (What you'd do here in Sweden is call the police; they then call the local hunters who come out, most often with a dog, to track and kill the animal if necessary. It's even illegal *not* to call the police in that situation. And as long as you as a driver clearly mark where it happened, the dog usually have a fair chance, if the animal hasn't gone too far.)

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

Interesting, I have no idea whether there is anything similar here, but as far as I know there isn't.