The Irony of It All

[Harold Pickens]

I returned home from an unsuccesful deer hunt on Saturday, to find my neighbors kids actually petting a small fawn in the driveway. The fawn did not look healthy to me and I told yhe kids it was probably best to let it be.
I went deer hunting on Sunday, also unsuccessful, and came home to find that fawn standing in the middle of the road and would not move or react despite people trying to shoo it off the road. I got out of my truck and actually picked it up and carried it off the side of the road and put it in an old cemetary dating back to the 1700's next to my house(best neighbors ever).
Twenty minutes later my wife came home and said that a fawn was standing in the middle of the road and would not move. I went down and grabbed it by the back of the neck and actually led it a couple hundred yards up the road to my house and onto my patio. I then began to acess the deer, and lo and behold, it appeared to be blind. It would not react to swinging directly at its face, nor was their any reaction to high intensity light shined in its eyes. It stumbled around and walked right into a stone wall and then my fireplace like they were not there.
I surmise that this fawn had been born blind, and as long as its doe was around, it could suckle and follow it's mother around by scent. Something must have happened to the doe, and now the poor fawn was as we say. left in the dark.
I felt that the poor fawn should be put down, but instead walked it up the hill to the hayfields and farm that borders my back yard. Twenty minutes later, I heard screeching tires and hollering--the fawn was back out in the middle of the road stopping traffic--I surmise that it must gravitate to the sound of the road since it can't see.
My wife tried to call the game warden, but a deputy sherrif was sent. He did not want to put the deer down--I offered my 22 revolver with shorts to do the job--much quieter than his 9mm. The deputy saw my fenced in dog yard and asked if we could put the deer in there until the conservation officer could be contacted. We herded the deer into my dog yard( the deer walked right into the side of my house) and the deputy left, promising to come back with the game warden in the morning.
The next morning, the deer could barely get to its feet, probably hadnt eaten for a long time, and wouldnt take any food. I called the DNR office since it was now Monday morning. I told them that the deer was failing and that if the warden had not come by when I got home from work, I would put it down-- he said I would be arrested for that. I told him that it would make a very ugly story and that I was going to shoot the deer if it was still in my yard when I got home. Apparently, a warden did come and took the deer, if it was still alive.
If this would ever happen again, I would just put it down( a crossbow makes no noise) and throw it over the side of the hill. None of us would enjoy having to put a sick/injurted animal down, but it is the right/moral thing to do.

[OH Osthaus]

Harold,

Isn't it sad that those that hunt often care more than those that are charged with protecting wildlife.

You did the best you could in the situation which is heart breaking. It is very hard to do, but I am afraid I grew up with the three S's. Shoot shovel and shutup.

[C.O.B.]

While following a friend from his camp in the U.P. to mine he hit a fawn. Actually the deer ran into the rear tire of his truck. I could see it hobble off into the woods it's right front leg broken. It didn't go 20 yards and layed down. We called the police and a state trooper showed up. In the meantime I watched the deer try to get to her feet and she would just fall down. As there is no anterless deer hunting in that section of the U.P. we were reluctant to just go shoot it and it was between two houses. The officer did go into the woods to acess the situation but the deer mustered what strength it had and hobbled off. The trooper said that as long as it could move there hands were tied and we couldn't pursue it. Reluctantly we left it for the coyotes or wolves, first come first served.

[charlie cleveland]

a sad situtation for sure..i too would have just put it down... charlie

[Hammer Gun]

Sometimes you gotta do what you have to do! Sounds like some archaic laws you have up there. Gary

[Craig Larter]

I was faced with a similar situation but in a rural area-----I shot the deer----sometimes common sense trumps stupid laws in my opinion. You did your best in a difficult situation.

[Ray Masciarella]

Harold, What would you be arrested for? Are deer out of season? Is it illegal to take a fawn?

[C.O.B.]

Ray I can't speak to the laws in West Va where Harold lives but in Michigan you need an anterless deer tag to take a doe. In the area where my friend hitthe deer there is no anterless hunting period so if we had done the humane thing we would have been in possession of an illlegal deer.

[Harold Pickens]

Once daylight came, I could have shot it with my muzzleloader--it is muzzleloader season, or put an arrow thru it. But then I would have to physically take it to a check station and use my only tag on it. It was the dispatcher who told me I would be arrested. I am betting the warden would have had much more common sense and understand the situation. I never did get a chance to talk to him personally.

[Dean Romig]

Harold, for your own information (and for ours as well) why not contact the warden and present the story to him and ask his opinion - presuming you would have turned the carcass over to his authority immediately.