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9MM and a Deer

Noreaster

Noreaster

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The short version:
Car vs deer MVA. Hard enough impact that airbags deployed. Deer survived but not mobile, just sitting there suffering.
LEO on scene asks if there is a unit available with a rifle, or can we get animal control to respond.

I'm wondering, in this situation, why not use his 9MM sidearm to dispatch the deer? Range is what, 3 yards? Can 9MM not penetrate the skull of a deer?
 
northframingham said:
Yes a 9mm can penetrate the skull of a deer and dispatch it.

Provided the shot placement is good.
Click to expand...

That's what i thought as well, i couldn't figure out why he didn't just take care of it. What does the rifle gain in that situation that justified waiting?
PS: Happend just north of you, Landham road @6:30 am.
 
I was lead to believe there was a shotgun i the back of patrol cars, no?

At what, 3-4 yards a 9'll do the job, old time hunters used to use .30 carbine which is roughly the same size, but at a longer distance. Probably want to go for a heart/lung shot though, a deer's brain is pretty small.
 
Noreaster78 said:
The short version:
Car vs deer MVA. Hard enough impact that airbags deployed. Deer survived but not mobile, just sitting there suffering.
LEO on scene asks if there is a unit available with a rifle, or can we get animal control to respond.

I'm wondering, in this situation, why not use his 9MM sidearm to dispatch the deer? Range is what, 3 yards? Can 9MM not penetrate the skull of a deer?
Click to expand...

Always amazes me when cops choose to follow the rules....I guess when they shot humans that's different.
 
Maybe he didn't want to use his sidearm because he just cleaned it, and didn't want to be bothered with reloading his mags?

I'd of used the tire iron myself. Deer may have a small brain, but they are good at making me look stupid. I'd relish the idea of bludgeoning one to death. (sorry - it's Monday and I work with idiots)
 
About 20 years ago, I hit one. Same thing, alive but rear legs junk. Got the local LEO, after I argued with him about the need for an accident report, when there was an animal suffering and no damage except to my uninsured car. He decided to shoot it, put 6, YES SIX! rounds directly in it's skull from point blank range and the things head did not even go down!!! He was bragging about being a hunter, and could not kill the thing at point blank range.

Just then, the animal control officer showed up and sliced it's throat.

And.... I left and went to work.
 
Noreaster78 said:
The short version:
Car vs deer MVA. Hard enough impact that airbags deployed. Deer survived but not mobile, just sitting there suffering.
LEO on scene asks if there is a unit available with a rifle, or can we get animal control to respond.

I'm wondering, in this situation, why not use his 9MM sidearm to dispatch the deer? Range is what, 3 yards? Can 9MM not penetrate the skull of a deer?
Click to expand...

9mm can easily kill a deer thru heart/lungs or brain. Heart/Lung would take longer obviously

Could be a variety of reasons,

A) Cop doesn't have a clue about kill shots on wildlife/doesn't feel confident
B) Cop feels it's a Wildlife officers issue
C) Cop doesn't want to deal with department paperwork on discharge of weapon

I ran into situation A once...with a DEP cop down in CT, on a deer I shot thru the liver and one lung (bow), that unluckily ended up on an Anti hunters property. Deer was down.. but not out...took me 3-4 minutes to get down out of stand and by that time, the Anti called town cops, Regular town cop got there, and did not feel comfortable. Told him I could have dispatched the deer easily with another arrow thru the lungs, and if I was in a normal situation, that would be the end game. Instead we had to sit there and wait for DEP cop, because the town cop asked me too. Landowner bxtching at me the whole time waiting.

Now it gets even funnier.....2 DEP cops show up, the Top guy (not being racist, he was black and obviously not chosen for his knowledge of wildlife) ....shoots deer thru the middle snout, nasal cavity with his 9mm. I politely tell him, that is not going to kill the deer, but he goes over to it and tries to touch it, it bucks and flops and scares the crap out of him. (Im nearly pissing my pants laughing at this shxt show) His partner who was second in command (and smiling back at me) grabs the shotgun and puts it thru base of his neck. Done.

They put deer on rack and go to drive it over to my landowner's driveway and give deer to me after first verifying the Anti doesn't want the animal. Anti bxtching the whole time, Top guy goes back to truck and ignores the whole thing.

His partner being polite at first asks landowner to quiet down, landowner gets huffy, and DEP cop chews him a new ahole, telling him the deer is the states property, I'm a good guy fixing the excess deer issue, etc, etc...reams him. Pretty funny but that guy must have pissed the DEP cop off...cause when he brought the deer over, he gave me his card and told me to hunt that spot as much as I wanted, and he'd be glad to go over there and scoop up every deer that I shot. LOL.
 
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I have it on good authority from a friend that when you miss with the muzzle loader, the 9mm can drop the deer at over 50 yards. Trout troopers will confirm as he lost his hunting license over the descrepancy.
 
I have a friend from high school who hit one about two years ago in his big-ass truck in Pennsylvania. Did $15k in damage to his truck, but somehow the thing was still alive. He parked a .45 in the thing's head before the PA state troopers arrived. They thanked him for doing it for them, since it saved them the paperwork.

But yes, a 9mm will do the trick without any trouble.
 
In my town I've heard over the scanner many times an officer waiting for one of a handful of officers who know how to shoot an animal to arrive to dispatch a car-struck deer.
 
A point blank shot from a 9mm will Pierce the skull of a deer. He didn't want to do the paperwork or was afraid to do it.

Actually imo the handgun would have been safer than a rifle......less energy therefore less chance of a ricochet going off the ground.
 
xjma99 said:
I have it on good authority from a friend that when you miss with the muzzle loader, the 9mm can drop the deer at over 50 yards. Trout troopers will confirm as he lost his hunting license over the descrepancy.
Click to expand...
No handguns allowed to hunt deer in mass. Period.

If you miss with the muzzie or shotgun.....you gotta let the deer run!
 
xjma99 said:
I have it on good authority from a friend that when you miss with the muzzle loader, the 9mm can drop the deer at over 50 yards. Trout troopers will confirm as he lost his hunting license over the descrepancy.
Click to expand...

Your friend should have learned how to do his own butchering!
 
Noreaster78 said:
... couldn't figure out why he didn't just take care of it. What does the rifle gain in that situation that justified waiting?.
Click to expand...

Squeamish, or too messy for him?



whacko said:
No handguns allowed to hunt deer in mass. Period.

If you miss with the muzzie or shotgun.....you gotta let the deer run!
Click to expand...

This could actually be a reason. Then again, no rifles for deer in Mass. either! If it had antlers thrashing about, I can understand keeping some distance.
 
Coyote33 said:
Squeamish, or too messy for him?





This could actually be a reason. Then again, no rifles for deer in Mass. either! If it had antlers thrashing about, I can understand keeping some distance.
Click to expand...
I was actually replying to the post about a hunter that missed with his muzzle loader and then shot a deer with his 9mm. Hunter should not have even had the 9mm with him if he was hunting deer!

In the case the op brings up about the car struck deer.....a leo is probably able to put the deer down using his side arm with no legal issues
 
Around 2000 my father was in the roadkill list for Westford. We get a call around 1 in the morning for a deer collision where the deer was just wounded. We get there and the Westford cops had to put it down. For some reason they decided to shoot it in the vitals a few times with a 9mm in someone's front yard Then finally popped it in the neck to end it. After seeing that I wouldn't shoot a deer with anything less than a 44 mag or 45lc +p. Unless it was in the head at point blank.
 
Path-Finder said:
Around 2000 my father was in the roadkill list for Westford. We get a call around 1 in the morning for a deer collision where the deer was just wounded. We get there and the Westford cops had to put it down. For some reason they decided to shoot it in the vitals a few times with a 9mm in someone's front yard Then finally popped it in the neck to end it. After seeing that I wouldn't shoot a deer with anything less than a 44 mag or 45lc +p. Unless it was in the head at point blank.
Click to expand...

The problem with that approach is that with a handgun, you're just poking holes. You don't have the hydrostatic shock effect you get with a rifle. Gotta park one in it's brain pan or sever the spine to get a clean kill. Otherwise you have to wait for it to bleed out.
 
amm5061 said:
The problem with that approach is that with a handgun, you're just poking holes. You don't have the hydrostatic shock effect you get with a rifle. Gotta park one in it's brain pan or sever the spine to get a clean kill. Otherwise you have to wait for it to bleed out.
Click to expand...
This!

When you put a wounded deer down......you shoot it in the head.
 
Last edited:
I dispatched a deer with a .22 Mag one winter night after its back right leg was broken from a MV accident. Zipped right through its skull and dropped it. HR single shot break action. 9mm should do just fine.
 

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