OK, this really freaked me out, and I was wondering if it was even legal. A friend of mine was driving down one of them seasonal roads, at night, and a deer jumped out in front of him, and he did hit the deer, but just the rear of the deer, and then drove over its legs (accidently) the deer laid on the side of the road, but instead of continuing, he backed up to where the deer was laying on the side of the road trying to get up, and he took a decent sized hunting knife out of his glove compartment and went up the deer and slit its throat, and got back in the car, and went on the rest of the day as though nothing happened. Can you even do that?? Is what he did legal? Should he have just left it? I mean, I couldn't believe it! Then to act like nothing happened? I don't see how a person can slice an animals throat, then walk away, totally unfased at all. Any input?

I think if the deer was in a lot of pain he did quite a humane thing, also, if he's carrying that size a knife and is unphased by what he did he probably knows what he's doing!

Whether it's legal or not... I'm not too sure!

I honestly think that it is legal. Actually many people hunt deer. Honestly what he should have done was actually pick it up and take it. I agree, if the animal was in pain, he did the right thing not to just leave it there as it was. I personally would never do that, but I honestly do not feel there is no law against it.

Here in the uk if you hit a deer or any other large protected animal and its quite obviously not going to live you can pick the animal up and take it for what ever purpose, but if you were caught hunting such an animal you would be fined quite heavily.
I think what your friend did was right especially if the animal wasn't breathing but deer do get stunned and will lie still for some time before getting up and carrying on there business.

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Originally Posted by curlybenswife

Here in the uk if you hit a deer or any other large protected animal and its quite obviously not going to live you can pick the animal up and take it for what ever purpose...

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See, I thought in the UK you had to phone the police if you hit anything like a dog or bigger? (cats don't matter apparently!)

Also, I was told (not sure if it's an urban myth or not, will research it though!) that here if you hit something you CAN'T pick it up and take it away with you because it's classed as poaching! It is OK however if the car in front of you kills it and then you pick it up, because you didn't do the deed! Lol!

The laws in the US vary about reporting an accident, many times the amount of damage. But even with that, you can't sue the deers family for damages, and you would not be at fault for hitting the deer.

And yes if the deer is in pain and can not move, putting the animal "down" is the correct thing to do, And to be honest to be able to get up on a deer that is still alive ( even with two broken back legs) and grab its head and not be seriously hurt he had to know what he was doing very well.

Your friend may have felt that he was doing a "mercy killing." However, the proper course of action would have been to pull over and call the police, just as though he had hit another car or a pedestrian. The police would have then handled the details concerning the removal and disposal of the deer.