OK- here's my story.
New Years Eve, I was on my way to the gym after a quick stop at CVS.
On the road back, there is a newer VDOT catch pond for runoff from when they widened the road. Its fenced in, and has an overflow area that has a bed and sides made of rip rap. Since it is below the fence line, there is a wood and steel gate that is made so it will open outwards...if a large animal gets over the fence, it supposedly can get out easily.
The gate is made out of L shaped steel, and 1x6 wooden slats making the pickets. Probably 2 feet tall at most. The slats are about 8 inches from each other. Gate is about 20 feet wide.
Anyway...as I was driving by, I noticed the gate was swinging, really erratically. It was windy that day, but not THAT windy. There was something stuck in between the slats.
Ignoring the "No Trespassing- State Property" sign, I pulled in, thinking maybe a dog had got stuck. Turns out, I was wrong. It was a doe. Probably 2-3 years old at best. She had gotten herself wedged in the slats, and couldn't clear her pelvis.
The rip rap in front of her was all covered in blood. She had rubbed the hair off around where she was stuck, but worse...she had slammed her head onto the rip rap, and broke her jaw about midway on the right side. She was a goner, but hanging in there. Resting and struggling to get free, but she was stuck. Even if she had gotten free, she couldn't have fed with a broken jaw.
I didn't want to get too close because she was swinging that gate around like it was made of foam. Thing probably weighs around 300-400 pounds, and one nice whack would have splintered my ankle or shins.
Because of
Virginia's wonderful 'independent cities' system, I wasn't 100% sure where exactly I was and I am still new to that end of town. I knew I was either in Roanoke County, or Roanoke City, but wasn't sure.
I decided to wait for a cop to drive by. It wasnÆt worth bothering 911 on a busy day for them.
After 20 minutes, I didn't see one. But I started to here a faint 'pa-ting'...'pa-ting'. The driving range over the hill was open!!!
I drove over there, and talked to the man inside. He came out and looked with me, and then called Roanoke County Animal Control. The unmarked county/city line was about 1 block from the catch pond.
All this time, there is a line crew laying cable...three fellas, across from the catch pond. Animal Control comes about 20 minutes later, and he and I talk, and come to the same conclusion. She needs put down. I donÆt mind hunting them, and sure as hell donÆt want to see one starve to death or bleed out while being stuck in a gate like that. He takes pictures of the deer just in case VDOT has some questions.
Then the cable crew comes over. Seems earlier that week, one of them saw a 12 point buck in the area and thought it might be the same deer.
Animal control gets a bolt action .22 from the truck. I guess he's only allowed to take one bullet at a time for the rifle.
We try to get old girl to stand up for a clear shot to the crease, but by then, she's too exhausted. He doesn't want a head shot...didn't want to risk over penetration with all those rocks around, and being close to houses and businesses. He wants to hit solid mass.
He shoots the doe as close to the crease as possible. Nothing. She's still alive after 5 minutes. He's using CCI subsonic hollow points.
So, he has to walk BACK to the truck, unlock it, and get another round.
Shoots it again. Little bit closer range and closer to the crease. Nothing. She's laying funny on the rocks, and moving the inards around, and heÆs not hitting anything critical.
Now he's pissed.
He walks BACK to the truck, gets yet ANOTHER round, and loads it up, and from a different angle decides to take a head shot. The third round hits and instantly deflects downwards and completely knocks her broken jaw off. Its laying on the ground beside her.
And she's still alive. By now officer is PISSED. A fourth trip to the truck, another round, and the deer is just looking at us like "Someone PLEASE take Barney FifeÆs GLOCK and get this over with." Fourth round- headshot, and after about 5 minutes, she stops breathing.
I asked if he needed any help pulling her out of there, he said he'd love it, but we can't...because the deerÆs BUTT is enclosed in state property, we have to wait for VDOT to come out...on New Years Eve...that'd be a good 3-4 hour wait. And if any of us wanted the meat, he had a ticket we'd fill out (didn't need a license), but we'd still have to wait.