Keep a .22LR in your car.

[Pawcatch]

A stick,rock,brick, or your hands is plenty enough to dispatch a crippled rabbit.Most species of rabbits have very thin skulls and crack very easily.One it with a stick to the head and a cottontail's eyes will literally pop out of its head.

 

[OEF_VET]

hit a bird while driving...

I wasn't actually driving, but...

There I was in Kosovo, sitting in the turret of an uparmored Hum-vee, pulling security as our small convoy drove thru Pristina at 30 mph. I was looking to my left when I saw a black dot out of the corner of my right eye. I turned just in time to be hit in the face with by a crow. Dang that hurt. Luckily for me, I was wearing goggles and a Kevler, so all I got was a small cut on my face. The bird ended up dead, stuck between the tailgate and a 5 gallon fuel can.

For some reason, I didn't get a Purple Heart for being injured by a Kamikaze crow in a combat zone. Although, it does give creedance to the times people said my face could kill.

Frank
P.S. I swear this a true, albeit slightly embarrassing, story.

 

[coonan357]

clobbered a deer on I 94 a few back with my peterbilt at the begining of gun season in Michigan near Custer industrial park , Bambi Vs Pete ... Pete 1, bambi zero.. but it cost over 15 grand to fix the damage on the truck . and talk about redmist ....

 

[redneck]

Why not just run it over again?

Am I the only one that just hits it a second time, making sure to finish the job?
I guess if you have a small car or something its not a sure deal. I drive a 10 year old 3/4 ton ford pickup, so its a pretty good squasher.
I won't put myself in harms way to miss an animal in the road, and the few things I hit were dead right then. If I needed to I'd just roll over em one more time. Quickest and easiest thing to do. Especially with all the legal hassles of carrying a gun in your vehicle.
My dad did hit a deer once, breaking its back legs. And it was off the road in the ditch. Thats a different situation, luckily for him he was right in front of a neighbors house that was all to happy to shoot the deer and fill the freezer.
I always carry a fairly large knife, and have a few other things in my truck. Its good to be prepared. Seems like folks are forgetting the easiest way to handle the situation most of the time.

 

[Ikari]

OEF_VET, I don't know if my story is as good as yours, but I have another funny story about kamikaze birds. About two years ago, my girlfriend sent me the following picture. According to her, she found the bird this way on her antenna in the morning when she went to get into her car. It is assumed it was flying and not watching where it was going (maybe in the dark). Oh well. Darwin was right, I guess.

 

[tex_n_cal]

Well, if I can safely miss one, I will. My old truck had a 6 inch scratch on the drivers door from a deers antler, which I managed to avoid. One hunter I was slightly acquainted with wasn't so lucky - swerved to miss a deer and rolled his pickup at 80 mph. he didn't survive.

I am another guy who caught a dove in his grill. While driving south of Dallas one summer day, I caught one in the grill going about 70 mph. Thinking about how hot it was, I stopped, figuring the bird would start to smell if I waited until I stopped. I pulled off the freeway and pulled him out of the grill, and to my astonishment he flapped his wings and flew away.

 

[Dionysusigma]

"Am I the only one that just hits it a second time, making sure to finish the job?" -redneck

I'd have to agree with you there--friend of mine once said that there was no such thing as an unarmed driver.

 

[Lone Star]

Fortunately, I've only hit one squirrel, which evidently suffered a broken neck, as it flopped around on the road in a rear view mirror. Traffic precluded stopping, but I doubt it survived more than a few seconds.

Had a great horned owl fly into my radio antenna once while sitting in a stationary car. He swerved at the last instant or would have gone through the window right into my face! I guess he was making at pass at me, which is pretty scary. I've read about owls doing that. I think he saw the glass at the last instant, and veered. Gave the aerial a pretty good strumming...

Lone Star

 

[ENC]

My friends wife has hit and killed not one but two Owls with her car the second one took off quite a bit of paint.

Owl 0
alero 2

 

[AZTOY]

I live in a open range.

So, yes i swerve to miss animals like COWS .

 

[Raistlin]

My wife crested a hill in her truck one morning, when a dog strolled out in front of her. She hit the brakes, but to her dismay, there was an anally-retentive individual following waaaayyy too close behind. He ran his small two-door car into the rear end of her Dodge Ram 1500. Her bumper: bent and had to be replaced. His car: hood had a nice big trench running across it. The dog: walked away like nothing happened.

Upon leaving (once the deputy was done), my wife said something about "if I see that dog on the street again....". She has also delcared that if someone's following her and an animal dog-size or smaller steps in front of her vehicle - it's toast.

 

[bogie]

I've told these before... Was on a date, and had a possum cross in front of me on a country road next to my old farm (was heading to the back of the farm to the "parking place." Instinct took over.

I was in my old VW bus, and going slow enough that crossing to the other side of the road to get the double-thump wasn't a problem.

I'd forgotten that my date _wasn't_ from the country.

Oops. Didn't get any.

Here in St. Louis, was on another date, and the girl saw a cat that had been hit by a car. It was in pretty bad shape. I stopped (she wanted me to...), fished around in the trunk/hatchback, and then fixed the cat.

She freaked.

She'd thought that I was going to bundle up the still conscious clawmonster (which had portions of cat that shoulda been on the inside on the outside) and take it to a kitty hospital where they'd make it all better - on a Saturday night...

Oops. Didn't get any.

Ethics dictate that one put a mortally wounded critter out of its misery. But if I don't get some soon, I'm gonna go crazy... Hey, wait a minute - too late!

 

[Hemicuda]

I once crested a hill on a paved backroad near my home, to see a WHOLE herd of deer crossing the road... I was also doing better than 80 MPH... NOWHERE to go...

I slowed down (controlled) as best I could, but remembered NOT to swerve... a whole new front end later, (impact @ 60+ mph does WONDERS to the plastic front end of a '96 Dodge Ram) I was ok... BOTH ditches in that stretch are about 12' deep W/ STEEP banks, and lotsa concrete bulkheads for driveways.

remember, if there's no evidence of the animal, and you damage your vehicle, the usual outcome is a wreckless driving charge...

if there's evidence of an animnal, then insurance covers it...

 

[Kharn]

Bogie:
You seem to have a horrible record with dating and animals.

On my second day of driver's ed, I was presented with three choices: Hit a Lexus head on at ~50mph combined speed, go into the (very lightly constructed) fence seperating the road we were on from the Chesapeake Bay, or squash two pigeons. My instructor said "Dont hit the brake, you want to get 'em both with the tire!" and so I hit the gas. They were as flat as pancakes, no need for a .22 or anything.
When we got back to the classroom, he drew two pigeons on the whiteboard, and then X'ed them out with a red marker and told everyone what I did that day as a lesson in flattening wildlife vs a collision. I didnt bother asking the hot girl in the class if she wanted to go out, after she had demanded to know "who killed those two little birds?".

[Edit, oops, forgot half the message]
I really wish we could get some legal reform in MD, I'm on the road frequently during non-daylight hours and with the decline of deer hunting in my area, I frequently encounter them on the roads. Dispatching an injured one with my truck's lug wrench or pocket knife is not something I would consider humane; especially when if it occured in the next state over I could use my .45 to end the animal's suffereing.

Kharn

 

[Drjones]

Nope, sorry, nuh-uh, NEVER.

I'll echo what the first few posters said in that you should NEVER swerve for animals.

Trust me, I'm a HUGE animal-lover (NOT like that... ) but I have decided that I simply will not swerve for anything smaller than a golden retriever. (Gee, that sounds an awful lot like, "I grew up shooting guns, but I think all guns should be banned." )

As one poster knows from firsthand experience, it can cost you your life. (Or come darn close to it!)

I'm terribly sorry that happened to you, and I think you a wonderful person for going back and putting the poor thing out of its misery, but the driver did the right thing by not swerving.

I don't care if it IS "only" a residential area w/25 mph limit; I STILL DO NOT SWERVE or brake suddenly.

If anything, a residential area is the LAST place you would want to swerve or engage in other sudden movements, given that there are probably kids around.

 

[Poodleshooter]

My general rule is that I will swerve for any animal large enough to damage my car. Smaller animals I generally purposefully aim for.
I've got to go with redneck on this one-back over the animal to put it out of it's misery. As that dog in CA shows, even a gunshot is no sure thing. With pavement as a backdrop, it's an even worse proposition.

 

[pale horse]

In most cases when my brother go for a drive we are both carrying and who ever is riding shotgun has to clear the road. If a deer pops up here is what happens.

:crackle: Brother bird, brother bird.

:crackle: Go ahead.

:crackle: Seek premission to clear the road.

:crackle: Ahh roger that comece to clear the road.

:crackle: Roger that bomb bay window down comence firing.

:crackle: Quick and quiet.

That would be the way to solve the problem. In some cases out in the boonies I have the window down if I am flying solo I tuck my pistol under my leg for easy access. And should one of those little critters or big uns comes out their toast.

 

[willp58]

Reading about calling the cops to finish off a hit deer reminds me of a story that happened about 1/2 mile from my house.

Some guy hit a deer on a busy 5 lane near here. The deer was not killed so they called the cops and a female officer arrived on the scene.. She pulled her service gun (Glock) - stood back at least 15 yards and started whailing away!

At least 2 rounds richoceted off the pavement and hit a car repair shop. The owner ran out and was screaming to STOP shooting.

By now there was quite a crowd and the advise to the cop was to:
1. Get closer for God's sake!
2. Use a shotgun

I'm not sure if she actually ever did hit the poor thing.

 

[redneck]

I occasionally go after smallish critters too. Only racoons, possums, an groundhogs close to home. I'm gonna shoot em anyhow might as well get em when you see em ya know. Leaves more sweet corn in the garden for me

That story on callin the cops reminds me. My friends grandpa had the same thing happen to him. Hit a deer and it needed finished off, so he called the cops. The cop showed up and stood a few feet back with his sidearm. One handed in a sort of plinking manner and proceeded to just take pot shots injuring the deer. The old guy was into hunting and launched into a tirade "Shoot it in the HEAD you MORON, just give me the gun and I'll do it myself D(insert words, art's grammaw don't approve of....here) WHAT are you DOING!?!
Don't know whatever became of the deer.

 

[zahc]

That's sad. I hate seeing things suffer. Lifes messy.

 

[ENC]

Don't call the cops. I'm not even sure if they have the authority to do anything anyway.

Call a game warden. In addition to knowing what to do they can give you a roadkill tag so you can keep the meat if it is worth doing.

 

[Drjones]

Call a game warden. In addition to knowing what to do they can give you a roadkill tag so you can keep the meat if it is worth doing.

Actually, DO NOT do that.

After the story I saw tonight, you'd be better off taking care of the situation yourself.

Saw on the news tonight a game warden in FL(?) TX(?) (but I don't suppose y'all have gators in TX, huh?) was called to the scene where a gator was in the middle of the road.

What does this moron do?

He ties a rope around it (its neck, if I saw correctly. DON'T ask me how he got it there!!! ) and DRAGGED THE GATOR BEHIND HIS TRUCK OUT OF THE ROAD, AND THEN SHOT IT.



That warden is the one who needed to be dragged behind a truck and put down for behavior like THAT!!!

 

[ENC]

For that situation I think the game warden didn't make the best decision. I don't know I wasn't there and didn't see it.

but for Deer around here I have always called the GW and had good luck. Usually (only happened to me twice) he will tell me I can go ahead and kill it and he will meet me as soon as possible and give me a tag for it.

Evan

 

[bogie]

My bud Clay was on his way back to town after sighting in his .300 winmag 700PSS deer rifle, when he discovered that the muzzle velocity of a Ford F150 stretchcab will do wonders on a deer. Truck was still operable (bumper was the only thing hurt), and he made sure the deer was down and dead (he's a doc - the deer was DEAD), and went back to the range to ask the conservation folks about what to do with the deer, they told him he could have it, and by the time he returned, someone had picked it up...

 

[RustyHammer]

Bet der wazs sum guud eat'n dat nigt!