Safetyfirst
member
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2013
- Messages
- 58
I'm in college, live in California and recently purchased a Gamo Whisper G2 air rifle in .22, which I have decided is an excellent performer. After some gripes with the scope, I decided to remove it in favor of the incredibly accurate fiber optic sights already in place. I can now hit a soda can from about 100 yards away, sitting down from an unsupported position, with just the irons.
Anyway, today I went to my relative's house which includes a sizable forest property on which to do some small game hunting/pest control. I dispatched a rabbit, squirrel, several birds... And then there was the incident.
In the past I've tagged deer with the G2 never expecting to put one down; they would consistently bound away like nothing hit them, even though I could hear the impact. Today I saw some deer in the clearing above the driveway, and took a shot through some trees. I hit one right above the front leg and heard it dash away into the underbrush just as a car pulls up full of relatives for our dinner party. To my dismay, the deer is not in a good state of mind and actually runs back towards us, out of the treeline and into the uncovered grassy hill. Turns out it was a fawn, and it was panicking from shock. Eventually it stumbled down the rest of the incline, tripped, and slammed its head into the wooden retaining fence that separates the clearing from the driveway, killing it instantly. Everyone demanded to know if I'd shot the poor creature (not a gun-friendly family by any means), to which I replied I had simply fired into the clearing and "spooked" it. Thankfully the pellet hole was not visible on the exposed side, and I quickly dug a hole and buried it before anyone could make a thorough examination.
I am curious as to the legal implications of killing a fawn on private property without a license and out of season (I assume). Also, if this is not actually considered illegal, where would I want to hit a mammal for a clean kill? Some birds will drop instantly, but all the rodents I've hit up to now will consistently panic until they bleed out, which is not agreeable to me. Do you aim for the spine or the cranium?
Anyway, today I went to my relative's house which includes a sizable forest property on which to do some small game hunting/pest control. I dispatched a rabbit, squirrel, several birds... And then there was the incident.
In the past I've tagged deer with the G2 never expecting to put one down; they would consistently bound away like nothing hit them, even though I could hear the impact. Today I saw some deer in the clearing above the driveway, and took a shot through some trees. I hit one right above the front leg and heard it dash away into the underbrush just as a car pulls up full of relatives for our dinner party. To my dismay, the deer is not in a good state of mind and actually runs back towards us, out of the treeline and into the uncovered grassy hill. Turns out it was a fawn, and it was panicking from shock. Eventually it stumbled down the rest of the incline, tripped, and slammed its head into the wooden retaining fence that separates the clearing from the driveway, killing it instantly. Everyone demanded to know if I'd shot the poor creature (not a gun-friendly family by any means), to which I replied I had simply fired into the clearing and "spooked" it. Thankfully the pellet hole was not visible on the exposed side, and I quickly dug a hole and buried it before anyone could make a thorough examination.
I am curious as to the legal implications of killing a fawn on private property without a license and out of season (I assume). Also, if this is not actually considered illegal, where would I want to hit a mammal for a clean kill? Some birds will drop instantly, but all the rodents I've hit up to now will consistently panic until they bleed out, which is not agreeable to me. Do you aim for the spine or the cranium?
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